Little Miss Pipedream
by laurakinsss
Summary: AU. All human? Canon Pairings. ExB. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.
1. Preface

AN:

**AN: **Okay, so here's a little (well, maybe not so little, but it is as of right now) story that I got the idea for while I was at work, listening to music. It's probably going to get confusing eventually, but I'll try to make things as clear as possible. Half of me knows exactly where this is going and half of me is just going to make it up as I go along. Either way, I hope you like it.

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream. Furthermore, I do not own either of the quotes in italics.

.:o0o:.

"_Love is like a bar of soap,_

_when you think you finally have it in your grasp,_

_it slips away again."_

**Preface**

Sometimes it's weird where you find someone to love; it shows up in the most unexpected places. Sometimes it's the person you were assigned lab partners with in the middle of your junior year. Sometimes it's your next-door neighbor you never really knew existed. It's the stranger ordering the same drink as you the booth behind you in a restaurant. The customer next to you in the local rental store, trying to find a movie.

Sometimes, love is so close you don't even realize it. Like the tricky little bugger it is, love will linger in the dark, knowingly watching you ignore it. It slips itself into the smallest of smiles, the tiniest of glances, and still never truly reveals itself. It's there, but you subconsciously avoid it.

The only problem is, what if you never notice it?

_Fate only takes you so far; the rest is up to you . . ._

.:o0o:.

**AN: **I'm going to get the first chapter up as soon as possible. I typed the chapters up on my really ancient laptop and it's, er, acting up and won't copy anything to a disk, so now I have to retype them. By the way, this is my first fan fiction, so I don't know if anyone's going to like it or not. I dunno.

Till then,

Laura.


	2. Chapter 1: Moving In

AN:

**AN: **So, here we go, the first actual chapter of this story. Later on, after I've introduced all the characters, I'll probably make a small little chart or something to make everything clear. For fair warning, the first couple of chapters will probably be kind of boring, so I'll try my hardest to update very soon. Enjoy.

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 1 – Moving In**

**Edward**

Cape Disappointment, Washington.

Running a hand through my consistently out of place bronze hair, I stepped out of my car and looked over the top of the roof at the building I had parked directly in front of. _My new home,_ I sighed, and then added with a grumble, _in one of the foggiest towns in the country._ But I was glad to be back home in Cape Disappointment, where I grew up.

It was quite a large, old-fashioned house. This blue Victorian mansion was completely surrounded on all four sides by a sea of green grass, edged in a black iron fence, the front gate ajar before me. Trimmed in white, the wrap-around porch was proportionately sized and lavishly furnished with white wicker cushioned chairs. Fancy wide and white stairs led up to equally fancy double doors, each with a circular window centered in the also white wood. Three stories tall with a balcony on top overlooking the grounds.

It even had a name; Bluebell Cottage. Or the B.C., for short, as I had been informed. At which point I had rolled my eyes.

When I first came to look at the place, I had been told it was at least a hundred years old, but was recently restored into an apartment complex. Two apartments on each floor, with the balcony, a 'common room', and deck accessible to all inhabitants.

My apartment was on the top floor, and internally groaned when I thought of all the luggage I had to haul the entire way up there.

I had yet to meet my fellow residents and idly wondered if they were sociable or not. After taking a last glance at the blue house that would eventually become familiar to me, I closed the door of my silver Volvo and walked behind it to the already popped trunk. When I had originally packed my stuff, I was surprised at how many clothes I actually owned. Naturally, taking up most of the room was my expansive CD collection and portable keyboard with its stand.

I was suddenly glad that three days prior to moving in day – today – I had Emmett help me move in all of my furniture. Of course, before that, our little sister, Alice, had seen to it that she had repainted the whole apartment and bought more furniture than I actually needed. Although, I do admit that everything she picked out was oddly to my taste.

Pulling out my five trunks that had miraculously fit into my car, I locked it and pocketed my keys. Grabbing two of the heaviest trunks, I trudged my way up the shaded stone path to Bluebell Cottage.

Once inside, I noticed that it was remotely quiet, save for a few normal house sounds; the hum of appliances, groans of floorboards, and the whirring of air conditioning.

I decided to look around for a bit before heading up the two grand staircases on either side of the foyer. Leaving my luggage by one of the plant stands that guarded each side of the doors, I walked around the little table in the middle of the hall that held a vase filled with welcoming tiger lilies.

Still walking forward, I found the common room beyond a doorway at the end of the hall. It was decorated with deep indigos and complimenting reds and oranges. Plush couches surrounded a dark wood coffee table adorned with magazines and thin books. In the corner was a TV and not far off was a fireplace with a couple of comfy chairs clustered nearby. It contrasted greatly to the light-wooded and cream-colored foyer.

On the wall opposite the fireplace were French doors that led to the deck outside. From what I could see, there was a grill and a table with chairs out there; I was really starting to like this place.

Going back to the entrance hall, I picked my luggage back up and made the journey up two flights of stairs. Stopping on the third landing, I quickly pulled my keys back out of my pocket and unlocked my door, the golden 3B glinting at me.

Throwing the keys on the abnormal shaped – and Kelly green, might I add – end table next to the couch, I set down the two trunks near the kitchen counter that also served as an eating area. The mismatched barstools on the other side fit in perfectly, though.

Alice had decorated the place as if a starving artist had lived here for months – that's the only way it could be described. Even though everything was different colored and way out of the ordinary, it all fit in as if everything was designed together. I had to hand it to my dear sister; she did well. She had obviously inherited Mom's architectural gene.

After another trip down to the car to get two more of the trunks – which turned out to be the keyboard and the second clothes filled one – I was making my way downstairs and out the front door for the last time when my phone rang. Fishing it out of my pocket as I walked briskly to the car, I grabbed the last trunk, filled with CD's, and walked up the pathway once more.

"Hello?" I answered without bothering to peek at the Caller ID.

"Hey Edward, it's me," a little pixie-like voice excitedly said in a rush. _What now, Alice?_ "I was just shopping around, right, and guess what! I stumbled upon this terribly cute coat rack that would go perfectly in your living room. I tried to find one for you before, but I couldn't find anything that would go. And I know you'll like this, it's –"

"That's great, Alice," I cut her off as I started up the second flight of stairs, "But could you please let me at least sit down _once_ before bothering me with something that I have no idea what you're talking about anyways?"

"Fine, I'll bring it over as soon as possible."

"Thanks, Alice."

"Bye," she said and I hung up before she could say anything else.

Getting up the last step with the heavy load of CDs behind me, I looked down at my phone again, turning to the –

And then I was knocked straight down, my trunk flying open and spewing cases across the little landing. Sitting up, I rubbed my head as I saw what had knocked me down.

Blushing and lying on top of me was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen in some odd, dark sort of way. At first glance, she was as pale as a piece of paper – save for her blazing cheeks – and about as thin as one, too. Once you took the time to actually look at her, bits of a peachy hue began to creep out of the blinding white skin. Her hair was a pure sheet of chocolate that reached below her middle back and curled naturally in a way most movie stars would envy. The face of this creature was angled with high cheekbones. But what interested me most of all was her eyes.

They were enormous and had a look of the eyes of a doe. A solid and very shining brown started back at me while I was taking in the appearance of this girl right in front of me. In contrast to her skin, the lashes that adorned the edges of her sunken eyes were a black that no make up could even achieve. It almost scared me to look at her, yet I could not take my eyes off of this girl.

Coming to her senses, she hastily picked herself up and looked around, blushing again. She smiled at me apologetically and spoke to me for the first time.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't even see you there," she said, offering her hand down to me. As I took it, a strange feeling settled in my toes. Brushing it off, she helped me up and started talking again in that voice of hers.

"I really should have watched where I was going, I'm sorry. I do that all the time, I just happen to be the world's biggest klutz. Here, I'll help you pick things up. You sure have a lot of music," she told me as she bent down and started gathering up my millions upon millions of CD cases.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine," I said, also crouching down to throw the scattered CDs back into my trunk. "I wasn't paying attention anyways."

"No, no, it was all my fault. And don't argue with me about it, either," she said teasingly. "I'm Bella, by the way. Bella Swan."

"Edward Cullen," I replied, glancing at her again. "I'm just moving in, as you can probably tell."

"Yeah," she crawled over to reach for a few cases near where I was on the floor. "Looks like we're neighbors, Edward."

She smiled up at me, blushed, and gazed into my eyes. Suddenly, it felt to me as if everything stopped and all there was in the world was she and I in this cramped little hallway. I grinned back at her stupidly, happy for the fact that she lived just a few feet away from me.

Interrupting my thoughts and bringing us back to reality was a few banging noises coming up the stairs. Simultaneously, we looked to the top of the stairway only to find moose antlers floating up the steps. Materializing behind the antlers was a long crooked wooden pole, carried by none other than my pixie little sister.

"Geez, Edward. A little help, maybe?" she grunted, trying to ascend the last few stairs.

"That certainly was fast," I muttered, reluctantly getting up and taking what I assumed was the coat rack from Alice. Setting it down by the half full trunk, I turned back to Bella, who had stood up. Glancing sideways at Alice, I could tell she was giddy to meet my next-door neighbor; she was literally bouncing up and down faster than a hummingbird.

"Um, Bella, this is my little sister Alice. Alice, this is Bella. She lives next door," I informed them, making a lousy attempt at introductions.

Without further ado, Alice jumped on Bella, squeezing the life out of her, I'm sure. At first, Bella seemed a bit stunned, but then hugged Alice back rather awkwardly.

"Oh, Bella, I can tell we'll be such great friends!" Alice exclaimed. I chuckled to myself. If Alice said she knew something was going to happen, it usually did.

"Yeah, that would be great," said Bella, again awkwardly. "But, uh, right now I have to get going, or else I'm going to be late for lunch with my sister."

"Okay, well, thanks for . . ." I trailed off.

"Knocking you over?" she supplied, and added a sarcastically, "Anytime."

"It was so nice meeting you, Bella," said Alice.

"Yeah, nice meeting you, too," Bella said, heading towards the stairs before turning around and adding, "See you, Edward."

With a parting smile on all of our behalves and another blush on Bella's, she descended quietly down the stairs as I threw in the last of the CDs.

"Don't think I didn't see that evil glint in your eyes, Mister Cullen," Alice told me, opening my door. I scoffed as I shut the trunk and picked up the wacky coat rack – which did fit in perfectly with the décor – and followed Alice into my living room.

"Yeah," I joked, "Because in the middle of the night, I'm definitely sneaking into Bella's apartment to have my wicked ways with her."

"I'm being serious, Edward," Alice said, "But whatever. Anyways, I've already decided that I'm throwing you an apartment warming party, and there's no backing out of it. I invited Mom and Dad and Emmett, all our friends, and a few other people. You should probably get to know the rest of your neighbors so you can invite them, too."

I glared at her as she looked through the colorful kitchen for something to eat. I knew, just like she said, that there was no way out of it. Ugh.

"And you should probably stock up on food, or anything edible for that matter," she rambled on. "You know Mom will bring about five thousand things for you to eat and send you baked goods in the mail every other day, but still. I mean, you can't live off of Pop-Tarts and beer, dear brother."

Planting the moose stick next to the door while she was chattering on and on, I went back out to grab my trunk. Looking up at the door across the hall, marked 3A, I smiled and turned to go back inside when something on the floor caught my eye.

It was small and red, shining in the light of the landing. Picking it up, I noticed what it was.

"Alice, did you leave your purse in that hall?" I called to her, walking back inside and closing the door behind me.

"No, I have it right here," she said looking over at me from the highest blue barstool.

"Oh," I said, confused, "Then, whose is –"

And then it dawned on me. _Bella._

"She must have dropped it when she ran into me," I murmured.

"Well, then, take it over to her when she gets back," Alice advised. "I know you're just _dying_ to see her again."

"I am not," I growled, putting the purse – _her_ purse – on the table I had previously thrown my keys on.

"Sure, sure," Alice said mechanically. "But I should get going. I still have lots to plan for your party and I have to get up early for work tomorrow. Plus, I didn't finish my shopping because that stupid coat rack took up all of the room."

"Okay," I said, "And thanks, I actually do like it."

"Ha, I told you so. See you later."

"Bye, Alice," I said as I rolled the last trunk into my bedroom where all the others were strewn across the floor.

Halfway through unpacking my clothes and depositing them into my dresser and closet, I decided to take a break and scrounge up something for lunch. From the few leftovers that Emmett and I had brought a few days ago for a snack, I took a beer and green apple from the fridge. Looking through the cabinets, I found only a half-eaten bag of sour cream and onion chips and Pop-Tarts. Grabbing both, I threw everything on the counter and sat down on one of the barstools. I would have to go to the grocery store soon, I mused.

Eating through my 'lunch', I found myself absentmindedly staring at the tiny red leather bag sitting on the end table. It was stupid, really, I had only met this girl a few hours ago and already I couldn't get my mind off of her.

Pushing it aside, I went back to my room to finish unpacking but instead ended up crashing on my tremendously soft bed. Slowly drifting asleep, large brown doe eyes accompanied me to my dreams.

.:o0o:.

**AN: **Well, there you go. Hope you liked it. Oh, and P.S., I'm pretty sure I'm doing the whole story in Edward's POV. If I do happen to do chapters in someone else's (most likely Bella's) POV, then they will be few and far between.

**Sneak Peek: **(Here's a little bit of next chapter)

_"Bella?" I asked uncertainly, "Are you okay?"_

_"What? Ouch!" she sat up suddenly, hitting her head on the railing. I suppressed a chuckle, feeling the corners of my mouth pick up._

_"Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, carefully standing up and rubbing her head, blushing. I leaned against the doorway, shoving my hands in my pockets, and smiled, unable to contain myself._

_"Fall, er, up again, Bella?" I inquired._

_"Ha, ha, Edward," she replied, "And, as a matter of fact, I did."_

Thanks,

Laura.


	3. Chapter 2: Invitations

AN:

**AN: **Okay, I lied. I didn't get this out last night. I'm sorry. Here it is anyways !

**Mini-Recap: **_Pushing it aside, I went back to my room to finish unpacking but instead ended up crashing on my tremendously soft bed. Slowly drifting asleep, large brown doe eyes accompanied me to my dreams._

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 2 – Invitations**

**Edward**

Blinking my eyes open, darkness consumed me. Taking a few seconds to observe my almost completely black surroundings, realization hit me. _Oh, yeah,_ I thought, _I fell asleep unpacking._

Not a moment later, a loud banging erupted somewhere in the vicinity of the living room, but muffled, almost. Standing up and leaving unpacking for later, I walked into the kitchen to see if anything had accidentally fallen. Seeing nothing necessarily out of place, I inspected the living room. Deciding everything was fine in my apartment, I thought I'd check the landing.

I swung open the door only to find a certain disheveled neighbor sprawled across the ground next to the stairs, muttering to herself.

"Bella?" I asked uncertainly, "Are you okay?"

"What? Ouch!" she sat up suddenly, hitting her head on the railing. I suppressed a chuckle, feeling the corners of my mouth pick up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, carefully standing up and rubbing her head, blushing. I leaned against the doorway, shoving my hands in my pockets, and smiled, unable to contain myself.

"Fall, er, up again, Bella?" I inquired.

"Ha, ha, Edward," she replied, "And, as a matter of fact, I did."

"Do you need any help?" I asked, letting it go, "An ice pack or something? Anything I can get you?"

"Um, not really," she admitted, standing by her door now, "Not unless you can conjure up my purse out of thin air."

Smiling again, I turned around and quickly grabbed the red purse from the alien table.

"You mean this?" I said, turning back to Bella, who stared at me with those large brown eyes, "Yeah, I think you dropped it when you so graciously knocked me down."

"I'm still sorry about that," she said, blushing, and walked forward a bit.

"No big deal," I said, walking towards her, too. "Are you sure you're okay? That sounded like it hurt."

"Just a few bumps and bruises, I can deal with it," she said, stepping forward, looking up at me. "Thanks, though. And thanks for, um, picking up my purse."

"My pleasure," I almost whispered, my face inches from hers and handing her the red object in my hand. As she grabbed it without breaking eye contact, our hands touched for the briefest of seconds, and again I got that strange feeling in my toes.

She smiled, blushed once more, and turned around to her door. Just as she was stepping inside, I called to her again.

"Oh, and Bella. My sister is throwing a house warming – or, I guess apartment warming – party for me. Would you like to come? I'm sure Alice would be delighted." _God, why do I sound so formal?_

"Um, y-yes," she said, and hastily closed the door.

As a grin crept its way up my face, I walked back into my apartment and closed the door. _Well, _I thought to myself, _at least I accomplished _something_ today._

.:o0o:.

The next few days went by without event, and to my disappointment, I didn't see Bella, either. I did, however, finish unpacking. Once I ran out of anything edible, I drove around a bit and found a local grocery store, so I stocked up on some food. Not that I'm much of a chef, but I figured making some Shake-N-Bake couldn't be that difficult.

Also, I had met some of the neighbors on the second floor. I couldn't actually remember the couple's names, but in my head I referred to them as Spaghetti and Meatball.

I had run into them after my little outing, carrying bags of food up the stairs. The man was, to put it simply, big. Not really Emmett's type of big, but you could tell this guy ate like a cow. His wife, on the other hand, was a skinny little twig, about as tall as I was. Thus, the nickname was created. Although, I also invited them to Alice's party, just like she advised me to.

It was a Thursday, four days after I initially moved in. I was sitting in the purple egg chair next to the alien-like end table my keys still rested on, flicking through the channels and idly wondering when I should go job-hunting. Sipping a Coke, my mind finally concluded I'd go this weekend. No sooner had I reached this decision when a booming knock came at the door.

"Come in," I yelled, briefly contemplating getting up to look through the peephole to see who it was and deciding against it. I took another sip of my drink and swiveled the chair around to face my visitor.

"Edward, my man," Emmett boomed, walking around the couch and collapsing on the bright red lip-shaped couch.

"What's up?" I asked, turning in the chair again back the TV.

"Alice sent me over here. Something about food and that party she's planning. I dunno why, I thought she said before that she was coming over here herself. You got any beer?"

"In the fridge," I replied as he stood up and bounded into the kitchen. In less than thirty seconds, he was back with an open bottle in his hand. After about five minutes of watching whatever was on the television in silence, he spoke again.

"Anyways," Emmett began as he sprawled out on the couch again, "When I was downstairs in the lobby or whatever, I passed this chick. She looked so familiar to me, but I can't for the life of me think of who."

"What'd she look like?" I asked.

"Kinda short, really pale, long curly brown hair and brown eyes," Emmett tacked off.

"Must have been Bella," I told him, as we both took a swig of our drinks. "Lives next door," I gestured to the hallway.

"Then you are one lucky man, Eddie," Emmett said as he took another long drink of his beer.

"Oh, I know," I murmured, flinching at the shortening of my name.

Another hour and another beer later, Emmett got up and left, muttering something about feeding his dog, Nellie.

The next day, as I was getting out of the shower, wrapping a towel around me, and wandering into the kitchen for a banana, Alice barged into my apartment. She had her usual constant energy, but she still looked a little tired. She plopped down on the lips couch and looked at me.

"Um, hi," I said.

"Hey Edward," Alice said, jumping up again and coming over to sit at the counter. "Emmett some over yesterday?"

"Yeah," I said, shaking my wet hair out of my eyes and unpeeling the yellow fruit, "Didn't really explain why, but he was here."

"Well," Alice began, "I sent him over to make sure you had gone shopping for food, which I see you have. And to tell you that your apartment warming party will be this Sunday at five. I was in the neighborhood yesterday and would have came and told you all of this myself, but I got sidetracked with shopping and whatnot."

"Okay," I said simply, unable to think of any other response, taking a bit of the banana.

"Also, I already ran into a few of your neighbors – well, pretty much all of your neighbors – to invite them and tell them the date and everything."

"Okay," I repeated, taking another bite and leaning on the end of the counter.

"Now," Alice continued, "I'm coming over at noon on Sunday to decorate and make sure you look presentable, got it? Mom and Dad will arrive an hour early, because you know how much food they'll bring. Emmett will be here whenever, I'm sure. And I need you to go shopping for this stuff –" she handed me a list of party food, "- sometime before Sunday."

"'Kay," I said though a mouthful of banana, glancing at the list and putting it aside.

"Have you found a job yet?" she asked.

"No," I said, swallowing, "I was thinking of going tomorrow and look for a part-time job while I write some music in the meantime."

"Oh, well, I'm sure things will work out," she said distractedly, as she picked up her ringing phone. "Hello? Oh, hey, Bella. What's up?"

I looked up at her with wide eyes, trying to make sense of her end of the conversation.

"Yeah, why?" she asked, pausing for Bella to answer, "Of course I can. Mm-hmm. Sure, I'll be right over."

"What was that about?" I asked when she hung up the phone.

"Oh, don't bother your precious little head over it," Alice told me, standing up, throwing her purse over her shoulder, and walking to the door. "I gotta go, though. Make sure to get everything on that list. See you Sunday."

And without another chance for me to get a word in, she closed the door. Throwing the banana peel into the trash, I walked back into the bathroom, let the towel drop to the floor, and stepped back in the shower. Turning the hot water on, I let the heat relax the newfound tension in my muscles.

.:o0o:.

Saturday came and went. I went shopping for all the stuff on Alice's list, just like she asked. Luckily, I also found a local music store and applied there for a job. A few hours later, they called me back and asked if I would be interested in teaching piano and guitar lessons. Gratefully, I accepted.

Sleeping in late on Sunday morning, I was awakened by what appeared to be a fairy-like shape pushing me off my bed.

"Alice!" I groaned.

"Rise and shine, Edward," she said in a singsong voice, walking back out of the room.

I disentangled myself from my sheets and looked up at the light projected clock on the wall next to my bed. A quarter after twelve. Groaning again, I quickly got dressed and walked into the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

My jaw almost dropped open as I gazed at the living room. It was pretty much in shambles. Half decorated with Chinese lanterns and bamboo, Alice was rearranging my furniture for what looked like the third time.

"Oh, don't look like that, Edward," Alice said from behind a side-turned zebra-print sofa, "Everything will look fabulous in the end. Trust me."

Having no other choice but to trust her, I turned around and grabbed some cereal from a cabinet, a bowl and a spoon. Setting those down on the counter, I poured the cereal in the bowl and grabbed the milk from the fridge. After taking a bite of the dry cereal, I opened the milk carton and took a sip from it.

An hour later, after taking a nice long and hot shower, Alice was almost done with the living room and was picking out an outfit for me to wear. Rolling my eyes at her, I leaned against my dresser in my boxers.

When Alice finally found something she thought suitable enough for me to wear, she threw it on the bed and walked back out to finish decorating. Dressing quickly, I turned to my full-length mirror and examined what I was wearing. Black dress shoes adorned my feet and khakis covered my legs. My light blue button up shirt could be seen under the dark blue and yellow striped blazer. Both were rolled up to my elbows, the light blue shirtsleeves sticking out. Dressy, but casual. _Alice_, I thought, rolling my eyes again.

Alice completed all the decorations in less than another hour and left to go get ready. She told me she'd be back an hour early to put food out. I nodded and laid down on the couch for the next hour and a half.

A knock at the door woke me up from my fast nap. Jumping up, I opened the door to reveal my parents. My mom, Esme, was wearing a yellow sundress under a white cardigan while my father, Carlisle, was in black dress pants and a bright green button up shirt.

"Edward," my mom said lovingly as she pulled me into a one-armed hug. "How are you, dear?"

"Smashing, mum," I said, putting on a fake British accent for her. She had a habit of using British words sometimes.

I let them both in, Dad smiling at me and clapping me on the back. They both put down the food they were holding in the kitchen – which turned out to be salad, a deli platter, a few hor d'oeuvres, and an apple pie – and I led them around the apartment, catching up and giving them a mini-tour. A few minutes later, Alice came in and frantically started putting food together. A black and white polka dotted cocktail dress hung on her petite frame as she scrambled around in black pumps.

Mom went to go help Alice with the food as Dad and I sat down in the living room, talking about cars, my new job, and anything else that came to mind.

What seemed like only minutes later, as we were all sitting around munching on carrots and crackers – except for Alice, who was putting the finishing touches on everything – there was another knock at the door.

Standing up, I walked over to the door, and glanced down at my watch for but a second. Five o'clock on the dot. Leaning towards the door, I put my emerald eye to the peephole and gazed through.

.:o0o:.

**AN: **I'll try harder to get the next chapter out when I say it'll be out. Maybe in two days?

**Sneak Peek:**

"_You got me a gift?" I inquired._

"_Well, isn't that what you do to welcome people?" Bella answered, "Give them house-warming gifts?"_

"_I guess so," I mumbled, taking the box, "But you shouldn't have."_

"_Well, go on, open it!" Elza encouraged._

_Ripping off the paper, I held a plain old cardboard box in my hands. As the newspaper drifted to the floor, I noticed holes in the top of the bow. _Air holes?

See yuh,

Laura.


	4. Chapter 3: A Pleasant Surprise?

AN:

**AN:** I guess I got this one out a little early. Not that anyone's complaining, right? Plus, it's a tiny bit longer. I really like this chapter, just saying. Hope you do, too!

**Mini-Recap: **_What seemed like only minutes later, as we were all sitting around munching on carrots and crackers – except for Alice, who was putting the finishing touches on everything – there was another knock at the door._

_Standing up, I walked over to the door, and glanced down at my watch for but a second. Five o'clock on the dot. Leaning towards the door, I put my emerald eye to the peephole and gazed through._

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 3 – A Pleasant Surprise?**

**Edward**

Emmett stared back at me, his figure distorted due to the peephole. I sighed exasperatedly and wrenched the door open. He bounded in and right behind him came Spaghetti and Meatball. I smiled at them and welcomed them to my home. Stealing a longing glance at the door to apartment 3A, I turned around and closed the door behind me.

Without a moment's hesitation, I introduced Spaghetti and Meatball to my family, apologizing when I had to ask for their real names again: Scott and Patty. Mom quickly stroke up a conversation with Patty and then the doorbell rang again, causing me to get up and greet the newcomers.

A woman named Charlotte and her daughter, Aurora, who lived in 2A, were at the door while an elderly man waltzed around in the background. I welcomed them in and the old man eventually meandered his way over and introduced himself as Skippy – and I later found out he lived in the first apartment on the bottom floor. I kind of doubted that was his real name, but nevertheless, I politely welcomed him in.

Going back to the living room, I saw Alice was back and immediately took over my job as guest greeter. I walked into the kitchen, grabbing cheese and crackers on the way off of one of the hors d'oeurve platters, and surveyed the living room from what I could see from my vantage point. I still could not believe I let Alice talk me into this.

An hour and some minutes later, through which I mingled with a few of the guests, I swept the room with my eyes just like I had been doing every twenty seconds since this thing began. Thankfully, I finally found what I was looking for.

Excusing myself from talking to Nick – who lived in 1B – about his thoughts on evolution, I walked towards my mom who was deep in conversation with two women.

"Nice to see you again, Bella," I said softly from behind her as I reached the three women.

I thought I saw her shiver somewhat but then she turned around and gave me a huge smile. They opened up the little circle they were in to include me. With a quick glance at my mother, I could tell what she was thinking about my sudden uplifting of spirits upon seeing Bella.

"Wonderful to see you, too, Edward," she replied enthusiastically. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other girl nudge Bella in the side and Bella jumped every so slightly.

"How rude of me," she said, "Edward, this is my little sister, Elzabeth. Elza, this is Edward."

"Nice to meet you," was the girl – technically a woman at eighteen years old – as she smiled at me and shook my out stretched hand. I took her hand and brought it up to my lips to kiss it. You could certainly see the resemblance between her and Bella.

Elza was almost the spitting image of her sister. Frighteningly pale with long and curly brown hair, which was tinged with dark red, unlike Bella's. Her eyes are what set her apart most from Bella, though. They were bright blue, an aquamarine, and man, were they _massive._ Comparing her eyes to any average person's would be like comparing the sun to our planet's moon. The blue orbs were not framed by the long lashes her sister had, but instead edged with soft and full lashes that complimented her arched eyebrows. All in all, she was stunning.

_But nothing compared to Bella,_ the little voice in the back of my head added.

It was true. If Bella had knocked the breath out of me the first day – other than literally – it was nothing compared to right now. She was wearing a dark indigo tube dress. At the top, stopping just below her bust, was a sequined pattern that wound in dreamlike shapes. Billowing out from there, it ruffled at the bottom – which, in my opinion, was dangerously short – and was banded around her legs. Her long legs were clad in black opaque tights with black flowers here and there. On her feet were simple dark blue flats with a bow. Her lustrous brown hair was set in curls that cascaded down her bare back, a fake black flower entwined in the locks.

After I was finished with my little evaluation, I noticed we were alone; Mom and Elza had gone off somewhere.

"You clean up nice," Bella said, fiddling with the lapel of my blazer. She looked up into my eyes, smiling and blushing at the same time. I had only just noticed the close proximity we were in of each other.

"You don't look so bad yourself," I told her, "In fact, you are simply breath-taking."

She blushed again, turning her cheeks redder, but grinned all the same.

"Your sister's a handful," she said, changing the subject, "But ever though I've only known her for a week, I love her to death."

"Yes, well, she's Alice," I replied.

"She tortured Elza and me on Thursday, you know. Took us shopping for our dresses and everything. And then she refused to let me pay for it," she sighed exasperatedly, still fidgeting with the collar of my shirt. I was barely aware of what she was saying, concentrating on how far up her fingers seemed to travel to my neck. But then it came into focus.

"She what!?" I asked, rather loudly.

"I know! I can't believe it, either. And if that wasn't enough, she had to come over and do our hair and makeup before we came over here. Torture, I tell you. Torture."

I laughed at that. I was kind of mad at Alice, but only for not telling me this before. Plus, I was kind of jealous that Alice had already spent more time with Bella than I had, even though she lives across the hall from me.

"Oh my gosh, I almost forgot," she trailed off, looking around. She obviously found what she was looking for, because she smiled a bit and turned back to me. Taking her hand from my neck, which it had planted itself on, she beamed at me.

"I'll be right back."

I stared dumbfounded at her as she walked away, instantly missing the warmth of her hand on my skin. Before I knew it, she was back with Elza by her side, carrying what looked like a box wrapped in newspaper.

"Sorry it doesn't look nicer," said Elza, "We didn't have any wrapping paper. But it's what's inside that really matters."

"You got me a gift?" I inquired.

"Well, isn't that what you do to welcome people?" Bella answered, "Give them house-warming gifts?"

"I guess so," I mumbled, taking the box, "But you shouldn't have."

"Well, go on, open it!" Elza encouraged.

Ripping off the paper, I held a plain old cardboard box in my hands. As the newspaper drifted to the floor, I noticed holes in the top of the bow. _Air holes?_

Hesitating to take off the lid, I looked up at Bella and Elza looking at me anxiously. Their eyes were full of worry for some reason. Maybe I case I didn't like the present? No, I would love anything Bella gave to me.

And that's when I heard the soft sound coming from inside.

Looking at it with wide eyes, I hastily took the lid off and peered inside. _Oh God,_ I thought.

Bright green eyes stared up at me from beneath long reddish-brown fur. A small tail floated in the air behind the creature. Its tiny ears twitched a bit and so did its whiskers. The thing meowed again.

_A kitten, _I smiled.

Glancing back up at Bella and Elza, I realized they both looked relieved. Apparently, I was right in thinking that they were worried I wouldn't like their gift. _Impossible._

"Thank you both. So much. I couldn't have asked for anything better," I told them truthfully. They smiled in response.

"Oh, good," Bella said, "We were worried you wouldn't like him. But then, who can resist a cute little kitten?"

"I don't know," I said, "What's his name?"

"Well," Elza began, "I named him Moose, but Bella kept referring to him as 'Edward's Present', so he also answers to Ed."

"I think it still fits," Bella defended, "I mean, look at him. Emerald eyes and bronze hair. If Edward were a cat, Moose could easily be his son."

I laughed loudly, and was joined in by a booming laugh that I know as my brother's. A moment later, Emmett was by my side and the kitten was in his hands, meowing as Emmett scratched his little head.

"Emmy!" Bella screamed. Emmett stopped petting Moose, or Ed, and his eyes grew about ten times larger.

"Bells?" he asked, uncertainly.

"Of course, Em, it's me!" she said with a silly grin on her face. Emmett dumped Moose into my arms and pulled Bella into a hug. Frankly, I got a little mad. Or, more likely, jealous.

"I never thought I'd see you again, Bella!" he exclaimed. "After graduation, you were gone, so I could never find a way to keep in touch with you."

"Can't – breathe –" she gasped out.

"Oops," Emmett said, letting her go.

"Um, am I missing something here?" I asked, deciding it was time to interrupt what looked like a happy reunion.

"Edward, brother," Emmett said, putting his hand on my shoulder, "Do you not remember me telling the family about my 'little sister' back when I was in college?"

"Uh, no," I admitted, "I don't really listen to most things you say, unless it's actually important."

"Okay, wait. First of all, Emmett and you are brothers? And secondly, I'm not important?" Bella asked, the last part sarcastic and teasing.

"Yes, we're brothers. No, you're not unimportant. Emmett, what do you mean 'little sister'?" I said in one breath as I tried to stop Moose from crawling all the way up my arm and onto my shoulder.

"I dunno, I forget. Some kind of weird program on campus. But Bells here was assigned as my little sister and I became her big brother, relatively speaking," Emmett tried to explain.

"Oh," I said dejectedly. Struggling to keep Moose from falling off his precarious perch on my shoulder, I could tell he was swatting at my hair as Elza laughed at the kitten.

I tuned out what Bella and Emmett were talking about, focusing on memorizing Bella's face. I think they were catching up on what had happened in their lives since they parted at college graduation. Emmett clapping me on the back and addressing me brought me back to reality.

"Edward will have to come, too, right bro?" he boomed.

"What?" I asked, still in a haze and staring at Bella, who noticed my unfaltering gaze and blushed.

"Weren't you listening? Me and Bella just made plans to go out to lunch tomorrow. Bella said she's still in touch with one of our old friends from college and then I suggested that you and Alice come. It'll be great."

"Yeah, I'll come. I can't wai – ow!" I yelled as Moose finally crawled on top of my head and dug his claws into my scalp. Elza and Bella stared at me in shock, while Emmett was doubled over in laughter. Soon, the two sisters joined in as I pulled the feline off my head. _Stupid cat,_ I thought.

A while later – about two and a half hours to be exact – the party was still in full swing, thanks to Alice, so I silently excused myself, sneaking away and finding the balcony for the first time. I walked over to the elegant white railing and ran my hands along the smooth wood. Looking up at the night sky, through the thin cloud blanket, I could faintly see the stars. Just above the treetops, the moon peeked through the clouds, bright and full. Breathing in the fresh air, I closed my eyes and let the time pass me by.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" said a small voice beside me, causing me to jump. I looked to where the voice had come from and found Bella at my left. I beamed.

"Yes," I replied, looking deep into Bella's eyes, "Absolutely beautiful." She realized I wasn't actually talking about the picturesque scene around us and I could see the blush on her cheeks, despite the darkness. I had a sudden impulse to touch her face, her blazing cheeks, but tried my best to resist.

"I come out here almost every night," she said, turning back to the moon, "Most of the time I can't sleep and the calmness, the tranquility of the sky just seems to lullaby me into unconsciousness."

"I know what you mean," I told her, putting my hands back on the railing and leaning forward. "Sometimes it helps me, too. Inspires me to write my music."

"You write music?" she asked.

"You didn't think I had that insanely large CD collection for nothing, did you?"

"I don't know," she said, looking down at her hands, "What instruments do you play?"

"Um," I retorted lazily, "Piano mostly. But I can play guitar and I've been trying to learn to play the drums."

"Wow," she whispered, obviously awed. Then she added, teasingly, "I can play the spoons."

"Now that's talent," I said, smiling down at her. The urge to touch her became even more overwhelming and I had to grip the railing hard to prevent myself from doing anything.

"Do – do you think you could play for me sometime?" Bella asked timidly, fiddling with her fingers again.

"Anything for you," I said before I could stop myself.

She looked up at me curiously, blushing, of course. The desire to stroke her face won out and my hand reached up hesitantly. Eventually, my long fingers made contact with her soft skin and the feeling that had been lingering in my toes shot up to my knees. Her eyes fluttered shut at my touch and she leaned into my hand. My thumb brushed over her lips as they parted. The inclination to kiss her couldn't be avoided much longer. Suddenly, my free had reached up to –

"There you two are! We've been looking for you two for ages," Alice exclaimed as the door to the balcony burst open. My hands instantly dropped to my sides and Bella opened her eyes, a blush already on her cheeks. Anger flared up in me towards my sister, but I also felt a small gratitude for her interruption, too. I didn't know what I was thinking, but I knew I was scared as to how Bella would react. Ignoring the situation she knew she interrupted, Alice huffed impatiently at us.

"Well, come on. Don't just stand there like idiots, we're all waiting for you two," she said, beckoning us to follow her back down the stairs.

Bella followed without another backwards glance at me. Sighing, I trekked behind the girls, thinking of how the angel's lips would have felt against mine

.:o0o:.

**AN: **You're probably not going to like this sneak peek. I don't. Sigh. Just ruins the happiness, doesn't it. I promise, I shall fix that. This was just the way the words wanted to be written. Okay, maybe I should stop saying stuff so you don't think I'm crazy . . .

**Sneak Peek:**

"_I'm sorry, I just – well, it's – I, uh – I –" she stumbled across her words. She played with her fingers on top of the table, a nervous habit of hers._

"_Stuttering isn't going to help, Bella," I whispered, unconsciously leaning forward._

"_I'm sorry," she repeated. I was about to interrupt her to tell her she didn't need to be sorry, but she stopped me. Instead, she continued. "I just – last night was . . . I don't know. But, what I mean is – can we just forget about it?"_

"_Why?"_

"_I – Can we just be friends, Edward?"_

Thanks to everyone who review and everything!

Laura


	5. Chapter 4: Lunch And Dinner

AN:

**AN:** Chapter Four! Woot, woot! I'm extremely proud of myself for this. I was doubtful I would even get this far. But I did! Yay. If all goes well, I might even write a sequel! Oh, now I'm excited. And that's saying something, seeing as I am in overdrive excitement mode due to Breaking Dawn coming out in five days. Gaaaaah!

_**Mini-Recap: **__"Well, come on. Don't just stand there like idiots, we're all waiting for you two," she said, beckoning us to follow her back down the stairs._

_Bella followed without another backwards glance at me. Sighing, I trekked behind the girls, thinking of how the angel's lips would have felt against mine._

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 4 – Lunch And Dinner**

**Edward**

Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I decided to put nervousness aside and look forward to lunch today with everyone. It's not like I would be alone with Bella again, I reasoned. _Right?_

Last night, after Bella and I were 'found', the party soon ended. Wishing Mom and Dad goodnight when they were the last to leave around midnight – Mom insisted to help clean up – I yawned and sank down on the zebra sofa, instantly falling asleep. Later, when I woke up this morning, I realized that Moose had crawled up next to me and fallen asleep practically on my chest.

I had gotten up and quickly took a shower and dressed in some jeans and a polo. Seeing as pretty much no one had work today or had gotten off, we were meeting at a small restaurant in the middle of town around one o'clock. Looking at my watch, I had about forty minutes until I had to leave.

Spending most of the time wastefully doing nothing, I was about to grab some kind of jacket and try to find the restaurant when I heard someone pounding on the door. Pulling open the door, a disgruntled Bella looked up at me.

"Hey Edward," she said hurriedly, "Sorry about this, but I overslept and got up half an hour ago, but didn't realize until now that Elza took my car. Do you think you give me a ride?"

"Sure," I said, trying to sound nonchalant through the grin plastered on my face. "I was just leaving. Unless you need a few more minutes?"

"No, I'm fine," she said awkwardly, "Let's go."

The ride there was uncomfortably silent; the only noise filling the car was the faint tune of music issuing from the speakers. I tried to talk to her, but she barely even responded with a whole word, just a 'hm' or an 'oh'. Was last night bothering her? I wondered.

We made it to the restaurant easily, and were there before anyone else. An obnoxious waiter led us to a large table, after Bella telling him that we were eating with a party of six. Bella, me, Alice, Emmett, I tacked off in my head. Who were the other two? The musings were quickly banished from my head as anger rose in me when I realized the way the waiter was looking at Bella. I'm pretty sure a low growl emitted from my mouth, because Bella and the waiter turned to me with a bewildered expression on their faces.

Sitting down at one of chairs – after pulling out Bella's for her to sit down, of course – Bella sat opposite me, staring out into oblivion. On the last straw, I looked over at her and gave a fake cough so she would turn her attention to me. Which she didn't.

"Look, Bella," I told her, "I don't know what's wrong. I don't know if you're mad at me or if it's something I did. But please just talk to me. You don't have to tell me anything, if you don't want to, but just talk to me. Or even look at me. Please?"

Turning around in her chair, looking me square in the eye, she accidentally bumped her feet against mine under the tables. From the point where her flesh collided with my flip-flop clad feet, that tingling feeling shot up through my ankles, through my shins, and gathered in my knees. Had I been standing, I would have fallen to the floor immediately. _Thank God I wasn't._

"I'm sorry, I just – well, it's – I, uh – I –" she stumbled across her words. She played with her fingers on top of the table, a nervous habit of hers.

"Stuttering isn't going to help, Bella," I whispered, unconsciously leaning forward.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. I was about to interrupt her to tell her she didn't need to be sorry, but she stopped me. Instead, she continued. "I just – last night was . . . I don't know. But, what I mean is – can we just forget about it?"

"Why?"

"I – Can we just be friends, Edward?"

Those few words ripped my heart apart. I had already gotten in too deep, even without me knowing it. I fell and I fell hard. I was falling for Bella and now I had to hurt because I was too stupid to prevent it.

"Of course," I said stupidly. _Anything for you,_ my words from last night replayed inside my head.

Luck must have been on my side, because right at that moment, Emmett came bounding over to the table, leaving me no time for her words to sink in. As I drifted off to indifference to everything around me, time seemed to fly by.

A few minutes after Alice had arrived, two blondes casually made their way over to our table, where we were chatting away, Emmett cracking jokes, as I tried to act as normal as possible, participating in conversation with everyone and laughing. As soon as the two reached our table, both Emmett and Bella jumped up from the table.

"Rose!" Emmett exclaimed and smiled as Bella said excitedly, "Hey Jazz. Rose."

Lunch flew by for me quickly. Through listening and few responses, I actually learned quite a lot. Rosalie and Jasper were twins and also Emmett's and Bella's old roommates in college. I vaguely remembered Emmett going on and on about some girl named Rosie or something back during one of our Christmas breaks, and I could tell by the way he looked at her that something was up in his head. And I didn't miss Alice's near-constant stare at Jasper.

My mind kept wandering away to Bella, though my eyes kept a distance. Did she have a boyfriend or something? No, Elza told me last night she didn't and hadn't had one in years. Of course, she did send me a wink after she told me that. But what did that mean? Maybe Bella just downright didn't like me. But she had to feel the fire whenever our skin touched, didn't she? Couldn't she feel what I felt, too? She had to. Then what was wrong? Sighing, I came out of my reverie, realizing it was time to go.

The ride back to the B.C. – eye roll – was even more awkward than it was on the way here. Obviously.

Trying to act as if nothing happened, I walked around the car when we pulled up to the cottage – not that it was much of a cottage, more like a mansion – and opened to door for Bella.

"So, how exactly did you meet Rosalie and Jasper?" I asked, striking up a conversation.

"Well," she said, obviously glad that I had put aside the whole of last night – which I most definitely hadn't, but I tried to. "Rosalie was my roommate in college. At first, we didn't get along very well. I thought she was too beautiful and stuck up to even talk to me; she thought I was too absorbed in books and such to even care about a social life. Turns out, we were both wrong in the end."

We had made our way to the front door, and I gestured for her to sit down on one of the wicker benches. She sat down on the cushioned seat and threw her red purse on the ground. Lifting her legs up and onto the matching wicker coffee table in front of the bench, I sat down next to her, carefully keeping my eyes away from her. She continued with her story.

"Emmett told you briefly about the brother-sister thing, and his roommate was Jasper. Eventually, Rose suggested we all go out to lunch to get to know each other better and from then, we were all the best of friends. Though I did have my suspicions about Emmett and Rose. Nothing ever became of them, of course, but something was there. _Is _there, I guess I should say.

"Graduation came, and then after that I lost contact with everyone. A year later, Rosalie and I stumbled across one another in town – she lives around here, too – and then all we were missing was Emmett. You moved in, and now here we are," she said, smiling up at me, though I didn't look her way. I smiled, too, hoping she didn't think I was being rude or anything.

After that, I asked her some other questions about college, her family, and so forth, and eventually we made our way up to the third floor of the complex. Saying goodbye, we both turned to our respective doors and went inside. Except, that's what I thought.

As soon as I had turned around to close the door behind me, I saw Bella practically dumping the entire contents of her purse on the floor. I gave her a confused look, but she didn't see it, due to the fact that she was searching frantically in the pile of money, lip-gloss, cell phone, and other random items.

"Uh, Bella?" I asked warily.

"Shit," she mumbled, "I can't seem to find my keys and I locked to door before I left. Elza most likely won't be home until midnight, at least."

"Well," I said, quickly grasping her problem, "You're welcome to stay in my apartment. I'll sleep on the couch, I don't mind."

"Oh, er," she said uncomfortably, "I could always call the landlord for an extra key . . ." she trailed off as she looked up at my stern expression.

"I'm not leaving one of my friends in the middle of a landing with no place to go," I said in a tone that matched my voice, trying hard not to over-emphasize the word 'friend'.

"Oh, all right," she agreed, "But only as long as I get to make dinner. Deal?"

"Deal," I affirmed.

The day wore on and we talked and joked around as if we were friends. Best friends, more like. And if that's all Bella wants to be, then I would gladly be there for her as a friend. She was only a pipedream, after all, I had finally realized. _Little Miss Pipedream, _I thought and sighed.

After the delicious dinner Bella had made for us – lasagna, garlic bread, and a Caesar salad – we turned on the TV to watch some movies. Bella surfed through the channels before stopping on a musical: Sweeney Todd. _Ugh._

I don't know when she fell asleep because I wasn't actually paying attention to the movie, but she fell asleep during it all the same. Moving the kitten off her lap where he had settled, I gently picked up the angel and carried her bridal style to the bed. Controlling my thoughts and fantasies, I tucked her in and closed the door.

Turning off the television, I grabbed my keyboard and sat back down on the sofa, causing Moose to hiss at me for almost sitting on him. Plopping the keyboard down in front of me, the feline curled up against my side and fell into a catnap. Smiling at him, and thinking of the girl in my bed, I let my fingers fly freely over the ebony and ivory keys.

.:o0o:.

I breathed in heavily, not wanting to wake up from my comfortable position. Keeping my eyes closed, I tried to remember when I'd fallen asleep. Last night, it was, when I was too tired to keep playing . . . then what? I'd dropped sideways onto the couch and fallen into a deep slumber. Then why in the world do I feel so comfortable?

My eyes fluttered open and the first thing I saw was a mass of soft but stringy chocolate drowning me. As I became aware of another person's light breathing, body warmth, and heartbeat, I felt my arm draped around a small human figure. Breathing in again, I smelled the unmistakable scent of an angel. Of _Bella._

Smiling, I closed my eyes and relaxed again . . . _wait. _I thought Bella just wanted to be friends? This definitely isn't just friendly.

_But she's the one who crawled into your arms in the first place,_ the other part of my head countered.

I don't want to ruin what friendship I have with her now over my stupid selfishness.

_She's asleep. And anyways, it's not like you _don't _want this._

No. She said she only wanted to be friends. I'm not going to go against her wishes.

_But –_

"Edward."

Torn away from the mental argument inside my head, I looked down at the sleeping beauty in my arms. I could tell she was still asleep, but why had she talked? Why had she said my name, rather?

But then I remembered Elza mentioning Bella's sleep-talking problem and how she, Elza, couldn't stand it. How I remember everything that Elza had said to me at that god-forsaken house warming party was beyond me. But, then again, she was talking about Bella.

"Edward. Don't leave me."

This time, a shiver accompanied the soft talking. Holding her tighter, I though about what that could mean. First, she was having a dream about me. _Me,_ of all people. _Me,_ who she only wanted to be friends with. Why would she be afraid of me leaving? I could never leave her of my own free will; I knew that. Maybe, just maybe – _don't get your stupid hopes up, Edward –_ she actually does have feelings, more than friendly feelings, for me? Maybe at lunch, she was lying?

"Edward." This was a whisper. A pause followed, without any thinking on my part, and she continued. "I need you."

Sighing contently and cautiously removing myself from the couch without waking Bella, I got up and carried her back to my bed to avoid questions later. I walked to the kitchen and intended to make a big breakfast for my guest. And I was certain of one thing.

No matter what Bella told me, I would never stop chasing my Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**AN: **See, I told yuh I would make it all better, did I not? Okay, well, maybe I didn't but that's not my point. Sorry to say, but I don't have a sneak peek for you guys. I got a little behind and I was surprised I got this one done as soon as I did. But I will get writing tonight. I know exactly what's gonna happen next chapter. Poor Bella will be blushing quite a lot.

Love you guys! Thanks,

Laura


	6. Chapter 5: Bafflement

AN:

**AN:** So I finished Breaking Dawn, obviously. That was yesterday morning, but still, not my point. I finished it. And all I'm gonna say is that I need to rant to my best friend about it. I'll save you guys from that torture. Anyways, you guys are probably not gonna like the end of this chapter. But next chapter will make up for it, I promise. And sorry for not updating sooner. Enjoy !

_**Mini-Recap: **__Sighing contently and cautiously removing myself from the couch without waking Bella, I got up and carried her back to my bed to avoid questions later. I walked to the kitchen and intended to make a big breakfast for my guest. And I was certain of one thing._

_No matter what Bella told me, I would never stop chasing my Little Miss Pipedream._

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 5 – Bafflement**

**Edward**

Relying on my minimal knowledge of cooking skills, I tried my best to make something remotely edible and relatable to breakfast food for Bella. Planning on taking it to her for breakfast in bed, I turned around only to find Bella leaning against the counter. To my surprise, she was wearing one of my white t-shirts and black sweatpants. I grinned crookedly, loving how she looked in my clothes.

"So what's on the menu this fine morning?" Bella asked, propping her chin up on her arm.

"Well, milady," I said, holding the tray aloft with one arm. "I have sausage and eggs, bacon, toast and pancakes, orange juice, milk, and good ol' cereal. What would you like?"

"Oh, kind sir, I have not a clue. How about a little of everything?"

"Sit, ma'am, sit. I shall feed you," I replied.

Sitting down on one of the barstools across from Bella, I picked up the fork, stabbed a piece pf sausage and held it up to her mouth. She looked at it hungrily and did nothing short of attacking the fork. Closing her eyes, she chewed slowly and savored the taste. Next, I fed her a piece of pancake and took a bite of toast myself. Breakfast went like that, me feeding Bella by fork – and spoon in case of the cereal – and taking bites of other stuff myself.

Afterwards, I started cleaning up, giddy that she actually let me serve her, as she left to take a shower. Maybe she knew about this morning? I doubted that, though. Elza told me a story the other day about how she had a whole conversation with Bella at night and she knew nothing of it in the morning. I sighed. Maybe she just passed it off as a dream? But at breakfast . . . that was _something. _For want of a better word. I don't think Alice, or even Esme, would let me feed her like that. I was over thinking things, wasn't I?

When I finished washing the dishes, I went over to the keyboard and sat down on the carpet cross-legged with it on my lap. Letting my fingertips hesitate over the keys, I decided to play the lullaby I composed last night for Bella. Closing my eyes, my fingers took over the keys, releasing the melody.

Sometime while I was playing, Bella had obviously gotten out of the shower, and roamed out here. Feeling her presence beside me, I finished the song, my fingers lingering on the keys. She sighed deeply and leaned her head on my shoulder. Smiling slightly, I rested my head on top of hers.

"That was the same thing you were playing last night, wasn't it?" I nodded to confirm. "It's beautiful," she whispered.

"You inspired it," I murmured, barely audible. She sighed again, closing her eyes, blushing and beaming. We stayed like that for an indefinite amount of time, before Bella suddenly upped and walked to the bedroom.

Not a moment after the girl of my dreams was out of sight did my mother barge into the apartment, knocking the door against the wall with a bang.

"Edward, dear, you're all right, aren't you?" Mom asked. "Alice was telling me how horrible and sad you looked during lunch yesterday. How broken you seemed."

She pulled me in for a monster hug, which was kind of uncomfortable, seeing as I was still on the floor with the keyboard on my lap.

"You're okay, right?" she repeated worriedly.

"I'm positively _fine_, mum," I said, muffled against her chest.

"Are you sure? Alice said you looked absolutely – oh!"

Looking up at Mom, she was staring over my shoulder at something with a shocked and happy expression. Wrenching out of her grasp and turning around, I realized what she was staring at. Bella's cheeks were beet red as she stood there in nothing but my long t-shirt that covered her super short shorts. I could feel my cheeks warm, matching Bella's blush, as what my mom must be thinking dawned on me.

"Mom –"

"Oh, I'm so embarrassed. I'm so sorry if I, um, interrupted you guys or anything. I didn't mean . . . er, I'll just go. Now," she said with a blush. _Well, that makes all of us._

"Mom!" I yelled after her, but it was too late. She had already left, slamming the door shut behind her. "I'm so sorry about that. She has a habit of just jumping to conclusions," I told a still shocked Bella. "Don't worry, I'll explain to her before she goes and tells the whole world."

"No, it's okay," she said quietly, "I'm the one that should be sorry." _Not this argument again._

"You heard what she said?"

"Yeah."

She had walked over to me by this time and now she took my hand and pulled me over to the lips couch. She sat down cross-legged on it and faced me. I shifted my body towards her and looked down at our hands, which were still entwined.

"Look, Edward," she said, looking at our hands, too. "I'm really really sorry about yesterday. When I said that, I – I don't know what I was thinking. I could say the same the night of the party, but I didn't have to think then. It just felt . . . _right._ I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression or anything, but we just met a little over a week ago, Edward. I don't want to rush things and . . . and I . . ." she paused for a moment, and them mumbled almost inaudibly, "I don't want to get hurt."

"Bella," I said, pausing. What am I supposed to say to that? "First of all and most importantly, I would never hurt you. Please know that." I looked deep into her eyes and continued, "And I know what you mean. Even you we did only just meet days ago, I already feel as if I've known you my whole life. Every time I touch you . . ." I paused again, wondering if I should tell her this, "Every time I touch you, it's like there's fire in my veins. Starting at my toes and shooting up to my knees, making it impossible to stand. I don't understand it, but I feel as if I'd fall off the face of the earth, if not for you. And you definitely do _not_ need to be sorry. At all."

She looked into my eyes again, probably searching for the same sincerity I spoke fervently with. The corners of her mouth turned up the tiniest bit and again I fought the urge to kiss those lips. I refrained from doing anything, though, afraid of the consequences, like last time.

"Just one thing," she said with a glint in her eye. "Don't mention any of this to Alice. Last time, after the party, she practically attacked me for the details."

Chuckling, I grabbed my little pipedream – or maybe not so much – and hugged her to me. Just like this morning, she fit perfectly into the contours of my body, like a cast and mold. Perfect puzzle pieces.

Soon after, she grabbed the rest of her clothes and belongings and headed towards her door. Gently saying goodbye to each other, I opened the door and she turned towards her door. Turning abruptly around, she placed a tender kiss on my cheek, blushed, and ran into her apartment.

I sighed, confusion taking over once again.

.:o0o:.

True to my word, I immediately called my mother and told her the entire situation. She finally understood after I repeated to her for the umpteenth time that there was nothing between Bella and I. Every time I told her that, I wished my words would be false. But, alas, they weren't.

Throughout the next few weeks, which soon turned into months, Bella and I had become best friends somehow; that was the closest thing our relationship could be described as. We were always with each other in our spare time – which we undoubtedly had enough of – and were completely comfortable with each other. So comfortable, in fact, that we were actually very . . . physical, I guess you could say. Both of us, without actually acknowledging the fact, always found a way to be touching the other. Whether it be holding hands, Bella cuddling into my side, or my arm wrapped around her waist, we were always in contact with each other. To other people, it must have looked as it we were a couple. Not that it bothered me at all.

But Bella never sought anything more in me than a best friend, if that's what we were. And I didn't push her for anything more. Of course, I did desire it – desire her – but I couldn't bring myself to ask her of it, for fear she would push me away and out of her life. I needed her, and I soon came to realize that she needed me, too.

Alice, Rosalie, and my Bella became really good friends, too, just as Emmett, Jasper, and I had. We all hung out frequently, and I couldn't help but notice how we all seemed to pair off. Rose with Emmett, Jasper and Alice, Bella and I. I also couldn't help but notice how the two other 'couples' besides Bella and I were actually becoming couples. Rosalie and Emmett were always going places together alone and Jasper was usually with Alice whenever she came to visit Bella and I. They were all perfect for each other. It pained me to know that my perfect match was always right beside me, but I could never actually be with her. So close, yet so far away.

When I accidentally let this train of thought let slip to Alice, she told me it would be fine in the end, that Bella would eventually come around to realize that she wanted me like I wanted her. Problem was, I didn't want to wait.

So I tried a different approach to the matter. Randomly plant kisses in Bella's hair or on her forehead. Surprise her with a bouquet of her favorite flowers. Anonymously send her gifts. Dote on her whenever she actually let me. Take her out on our own to expensive restaurants. Make her food when she was feeling down. The list was endless, but nothing really seemed to work, except for making that exotic blush appear on her cheeks more and more often.

Sometimes when Bella was gone shopping with Alice or doing some other errand, I talked with Elza, who had become aware of the situation – courtesy of Alice, no doubt. She seemed to understand exactly how I felt, and _what_ I felt for her sister. Elza tried her best to reassure me, telling me how Bella talks constantly about me, especially in her sleep; how she can never seem to wait to see me again; how she perks up and smiles whenever I'm mentioned. But nothing helped. I mean, of course you would do those things if you were thinking about your best friend. I cringed at the word whenever it was applied to our relationship.

Bella resumed the position in my mind as Miss Pipedream. It seemed like only a fantasy to me that we would ever become anything more than what we were now. She remained a fascinating and confusing creature to me, forever mystifying and puzzling me. I could not read her expressions as well as I could other people, and she continued to surprise me almost daily. And nothing made me fall for her more than that. Just her being Bella.

I was sitting in the egg chair, completely absorbed in a book Bella loaned me – and not just because her scent still lingered in the pages from her many rereadings – when it happened. A giggling I knew well, almost too well, interrupted me in the middle of a very intense paragraph, but caught my attention immediately. Setting the book down on the green end table, I followed the sound of my Bella's laughing, peeking through the peephole when I got close enough. What I saw was not at all to my liking.

Accompanying Bella was a tall man with silver brown hair. Not an old type of silver, especially because this man was around my age as far as I could tell, but silvery. That's pretty much all I could make out of the male, seeing as his back was to me. But as soon as I saw him, anger and jealousy flared up in me, crashing against my restraint I held so as not to go out there and pummel the man. What stopped me was the fact that Bella was smiling. She was _enjoying_ this man's company. The angel fumbled with her keys for a moment and opened the door. She turned around and smiled again at him. She smiled _my _smile at him. Disappearing into her apartment, the man walked in after her and closed the door behind him.

There was another man in Bella's apartment. Another man besides me in Bella's apartment. _My_ Bella's apartment. By her invitation.

It was a minute before I realized I had sunk to the ground by the door.

My Bella.

.:o0o:.

**AN: **Oh, jeez. Poor Eddie. Hope you like the sneak peek. It's from Bella's POV, just like next chapter. Yay !

**Sneak Peek:**

_"Oh, stop it," I nudged him playfully. "You're just too protective for your own good, you know that?"_

_"I would think it's my duty as a knight in shining armor to defend the beautiful lady," Edward said, smirking._

_"That was cheesy and you know it."_

_"Oh, I know," was his reply._

See yuh,

Laura.


	7. Chapter 6: Mailbox Conversations

AN:

**AN:** Wow, I can't believe I got this one out so soon! I guess I just really love Bella's POV. Not as much as Edward's, though. Maybe not. I'm still deciding.

**Mini-Recap:** _There was another man in Bella's apartment. Another man besides me in Bella's apartment. My Bella's apartment. By her invitation._

_It was a minute before I realized I had sunk to the ground by the door._

_My Bella._

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 6 – Mailbox Conversations**

**Bella**

It was a normal as I walked down to my mailbox to check for mail. I was happy from yesterday, seeing Andrew again. It had been such a long time for us. But we had finally bumped into each other. He had left early this morning, sleeping here since he had reluctantly admitted that he didn't have a place to stay, seeing as he arrived here yesterday morning. I sighed. _Typical Andrew._

Opening the rusty old box, I pulled out a few envelopes and another package. From anonymous, no doubt. Whom Edward liked to call my 'secret' admirer. I smiled, checking the envelopes and noticed they were only a few bills and junk mail. I turned to the package in my hand, wondering what it could be this time. But I didn't open it just yet. Opening these mysterious gifts was kind of a tradition between Edward and I.

No sooner had this thought crossed my mind when a figure hugged me from behind, and a familiar voice greeted my ears. It was accompanied by the also familiar tingling in my legs that left me paralyzed from the waist down.

"Guess who?"

"Mr. C, how could it be anybody else but you?" I loved when he gave me hugs from behind. They were the best. I leaned against him, fitting into place, and tilted my head upward expecting to see his crooked-smiling face. But his face wasn't smiling. His eyebrows were knit together, his eyes colored with a small bit of hurt.

"Oh, I dunno," Edward answered, "Just some strange guy leaving your apartment at five thirty this morning. A morning stroll does gain some insight to your neighbors, hmm?"

I blushed and then started giggling. Edward didn't seem to like my reaction for some reason. But then it dawned on me. Poor Edward.

"No, no, no, no, no, Edward," I told him, leaning back farther into his chest. "It's not like that. That was Andrew you saw. I bumped into him last night and we haven't seen each other in so long. He needed someplace to stay the night so I –"

"Uh huh, sure," he interrupted, looking disappointed and . . . _jealous?_

"Edward," I said sternly, "Let me finish." He nodded, disgruntled. "What I was about to say is that Andrew. Is. My. Brother."

That threw him. Edward stared at me in shock, disbelief decorating his perfect features. Another few emotions flew through his eyes until he finally burst out laughing. And then he looked at me in mock hurt, pouting. _Ah, crap,_ I thought, _he knows I can't resist that face._

"How come you never told me that you had a brother?" he asked.

"Well," I said, fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves as his arms were still wrapped around me. "He's technically my stepbrother. When my mom remarried, my stepfather already had a son. So stop worrying and being all protective. Geez."

"I can't help being protective," he replied with the crooked grin. "I don't want just any guy to whisk you away from me."

"Oh," I said, "So you plan on keeping me all to yourself then?"

"Most definitely." He buried his nose into my hair and I was sure I felt his lips press into my scalp, too. I shivered. It was fine by me if he held me hostage.

"Well, come on," I said eventually, after standing like that with him for God knows how long. "We've got another anonymous gift to open."

"Ah," he said, letting me go, save for my hand, which was clasped in his. "Another one to add to the collection? Maybe I should hunt this guy down before _he_ whisks you away from me."

"Oh, stop it," I nudged him playfully. "You're just too protective for your own good, you know that?"

"I would think it's my duty as a knight in shining armor to defend the beautiful lady," Edward said, smirking.

"That was cheesy and you know it."

"Oh, I know," was his reply.

We walked up the two sets of stairs, holding the package in my right hand, my left clasped with his right, his left hand grasping the rest of my mail, and talking lightly. When we reached my door, he put the mail in his mouth, and picked me up into his arms. Surprised, I squeaked, but then giggled as he kicked the semi-open door and entered my apartment.

"Aren't you supposed to wait until we're married to carry me across the threshold?" I asked sarcastically.

"I guess," he answered after dropping the envelopes on the counter. "Will you marry me then, Izzy?"

"Why, Eddie, of course I will," I teased and rolled my eyes. He constantly asked me that, always calling me Izzy as he had finally found out my full name. Most of the time he was joking, but some of the other times, I wasn't so sure.

He set me down on the couch and then plopped down next to me himself. Putting the package down on my lap, I stared at it, turned it around, and stared at it some more. I picked it up, weighing it, set it back down and stared at it. Shook it and listened to the sound. Edward chuckled at the routine I went through every time I got one of these.

"So, what's your evaluation this time, love?" he asked me as I carefully picked at the end of the tape closing it shut.

"I'm not sure. It's relatively small. Doesn't rattle at all and weighs not much," I rambled. "All in all, I have no clue."

"Open it, then," he told me, handing me a pair of scissors. I slid them through the tape and set them down, opening the flaps of the box. Hesitating, I looked up at Edward, who had the same look as he always did when we did this. Curiosity mixed with apprehension. But he gave me a nod and a smile for encouragement.

I looked in the box and saw only a million tiny packing peanuts. Digging through them, my hands found another cube. Pulling the box out, I hastily cut the tape with the scissors again and opened it to more peanuts. Frowning, I repeated the process again and again until the next box I uncovered was four times smaller than the first box. At this point I was grumbling loudly and Edward was chuckling in my ear. Two more boxes and a thousand more peanuts later, I held a small jewelry box in my hand.

"Think this is the last one?" I asked Edward, looking up at him.

"I'm positive," he smiled at me.

Closing my eyes, I pinched open the box slowly. When it squeaked into place, fully open, I opened my eyes, gazing straight into Edward's. Smiling, I looked down at the box and let out a small gasp.

It was a ring. A sky blue rose attached to a silver band. And I actually really liked it. Picking it up between my index finger and thumb, I slid it onto each finger, seeing which one it would fit best on. It ended up on my left pointer finger, a perfect fit. I smiled and looked up at Edward, who was grinning and smiling down at me.

"Look at the return address," he whispered in my ear. Complying, I picked up the first box that lie at my feet and found the address.

Edward Cullen  
Fort Canby Park Road  
Bluebell Cottage Apartment 3B  
Cape Disappointment, WA

"From you?" I whispered.

"I thought you would like it," he said, pulling me back into his arms. "Alice helped me pick it out, because she thought it would go nicely with your dress for the convention tonight."

"Ugh," I groaned as he reminded me of the banquet thing he and Alice were pulling Elza and I along to. He frowned, so I quickly added, "I do like it. I _love_ it, actually. I just really don't want to go to that. Why do I have to again?"

"Because if I have to suffer, then you do, too."

"Oh, thanks," I shot back, sighing. His father, as a doctor, was having some sort of charity convention or something. Even though it was for charity, I really did not want to go. I hated dancing. And I knew Edward would make me. But both he and Alice put on their puppy dog faces and begged me to go. I couldn't resist that. "Well," I said, "I guess Alice will be here soon, then, with Elza and Rose, maybe, to torture me, right? And I think that Andrew might –"

The door banging open cut me off and Andrew burst through the door. _Speak of the devil and he shall appear._

"- be here," I concluded. Edward gripped me tighter as he glared at Andrew. I reached up to him and whispered in his ear, "Brother," and proceeded with a quick kiss on his cheek before getting up and walking into the kitchen.

"So, what do you want to eat?" I asked my brother, who was lounging in one of the kitchen table chairs. I heard Edward walk in and lean against the doorway. I turned around to look at him and beamed at the bronze-haired man.

"Did someone mention food?" Edward asked.

"Well, mister, would you like –"

"Who's this?" Andrew exclaimed, a delayed reaction, as he jumped up from his chair looking back and forth between my next-door neighbor slash best friend and me.

"Relax, Andrew, my God," I told him, rolling my eyes. "This is Edward, who I was telling you about last night, remember?"

"What? Your boyfriend?" he asked, staring at me while his eyes flicked back to Edward a few times. Glancing at Edward myself, I saw his eyes light up at what Andrew said, but brushed it off as my imagination.

"No, silly," I said, rolling my eyes again, and seeing Edward's face droop a little. I sighed. "Weren't you even listening to me? He's my best friend. And lives across the hall."

"Oh, _him_," Andrew replied, sitting back down, and mumbled to himself, "Your lover boy."

"Nice to meet you," Edward said, sitting down opposite my brother and offering his hand. Andrew shook it, eyeing Edward warily. _Protective older brother is almost worse than Edward,_ I thought to myself.

"So," I said again, "What do you guys want to eat?"

"Fruity Pebbles," Andrew grunted, turning to me.

"How about some of your famous BLTs?" Edward asked.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Andrew said, tapping his fingers on the table and looking out into oblivion.

"Coming right up."

A little over ten minutes later, I had three sandwiches laid out before the three of us. Throughout lunch, light conversation followed and the two boys on either side of me grew somewhat friendly towards each other. I'm sure when I went to clean the dishes, Andrew gave Edward the talking to about me. _Typical Andrew_, I repeated my thought from this morning.

A few hours later, Andrew left again, planning to go see Mom and Phil – Dad to him – leaning Edward and I alone again. But before too long, Alice, Elza, and Rose came barging in. After demanding Edward to leave, they began the torture. Or what they liked to call getting ready.

I tuned them out for the most part, thinking of Edward, mostly. When I told them this, as usual, they rolled their eyes and muttered together something along the lines of, "You know you like him," which I usually denied. He was my best friend.

Staring in the mirror as they finished with me and went to get ready themselves, I smiled, always happy with the end result, no matter how much I hated the process. My chocolate hair was curled, not naturally like usual, but in ringlets that framed my face. The makeup was light, except for the tiniest bit of blue eyeliner Rosalie forced on me. And then there was my dress.

It was cobalt blue, a royal blue, and flowed down to the floor. Even though I usually disliked halter-tops, this one was bearable, soft and loose. The entire dress was pleated like an accordion. The fabric twisted between the breasts and flared out from there, billowing out whenever I moved. I have to admit, I really liked it, even though I was sure it cost a whole lot.

My shoes were reasonable, for once. With barely an inch of heel, they were silver and simple. I smiled, grateful that they had not forced me into any death traps as they often tried.

The rest of the girls soon came out, looking gorgeous as only they could. Elza had her hair pulled to the back of her head with bobby pins, adorned with white roses. She wore and elegant white dress with black lace around the bodice and also below. On her feet were silver shoes that here held on by a black ribbon. I blanched as I imagined wearing them. At least my sister had no trouble with her balance. Rosalie was wearing a red dress that fit her curves perfectly, with red heels on her feet. Her makeup was subtle but loud, and her curled blonde locks fell down to her lower back. Alice was sporting a long and sleek pink dress, which no doubt covered her extra tall high heels. Her pixie-like hair was spiked out this way and that, but looked stunning all the same, along with her smoky eyes and bright red lips.

I smiled at them, and we all exchanged compliments on our appearance, though we all knew we'd say we looked beautiful even if we were dressed in pillowcases and garbage bags. I don't think that the three girls before me couldn't look extraordinary in anything, though.

Minutes later, I opened the door to a very handsome Edward, dressed in a tux. Resisting the urge to ogle at my boyfriend – I mean, best friend. _Where the hell did that come from? _I wondered, shaking my head – I took his hand and Alice, Rose, and Elza followed us out, down to his and Alice's cars. The three girls took Alice's Porsche, leaving me with Edward.

"Might I say you look beautiful tonight?" he asked, as he held the car door open for me.

"You tell me that everyday, Edward," I told him dully, taking his outstretched hand.

"Well, you look extra gorgeous today, m'dear," he said, bringing my hand up to his mouth and kissing it lightly. I blushed, of course, and he helped me into the car – not that I needed help, but every time I complained, he shut me right up – and closed the door.

"Well," I said, as Edward started to drive away from the B.C., "You look quite handsome yourself, sir."

"I try," he said, smiling at me.

"Why try at something you already succeed in?" I asked him.

"It's a talent," he replied and looked at me as I rolled my eyes yet again, to which he stuck his tongue out at me. Instead of laughing like I generally did at the childish act coming from him, I suppressed the impulse to kiss him right then and there. I shook my head again. _Where was this coming from?_ I asked myself. I should not be thinking things like that about my best friend. I blinked, looking at him again, as he tried to reassure me that as long as he lead the dancing, I would not fall. But I wasn't listening to him. My eyes were concentrating on his lips, how soft they looked, the natural pink hue of them, the way they formed perfectly around each word, his tongue helping him shape the sounds. And I couldn't get the want to kiss him, kiss those lips, out of my head, not matter how hard I tried. Maybe if I got drunk enough, he would pass a little kiss off as nothing . . .

"Bella!" he shouted, gently shaking me out of my reverie.

"Huh?" I asked tiredly, blinking rapidly and taking in a large gulp of air.

"We're here, Bella," his lips said quietly. _Again with the lips!_ "You've been staring at me for about ten minutes without answering. Are you okay?"

"Oh, sorry," I said, blushing, " I was just, uh, thinking about something . . ."

"Okay," he said, though it came out as a question, perhaps for my sanity. He then hopped out and walked around the car. I scrunched my eyes closed, trying fervently to banish the thoughts of kissing my best friend from my mind, but utterly failing. Edward opened the door and held his hand out again. I took it, ignoring the electric current it sent through my body, vibrating in my toes all the way up to my navel. I stood up beside him and shivered from being so close to him. His arm snaked its way around my waist as he planted a kiss on my cheek. I froze, keeping my thoughts at bay, and looked up into his smoldering emerald eyes, my own eyes widening too large. He grinned crookedly down at me and held my body closer to his.

I shivered again, trying my best to keep the pounding of my heart to a minimum, and leaned into the man I knew, deep down, I wanted more than anything else.

.:o0o:.

**AN: **Hope you liked it! You were probably really worried about Andrew, huh? Anyways, the dresses from this chapter and chapter three – the apartment party – are in a link on my profile. But I don't think the link works, and I don't know why. Any help? Or suggestions/ideas. I could use some of those. Sorry, no sneak peek.

Loves to all of you!

Laura.


	8. Chapter 7: Failing To Remember

AN:

**AN:** I just got finished with this, because I was writing super-fast. Which was because I couldn't wait to write this and get it out. And now it is! Hope you like it, because I know you will!

**Mini-Recap:**_"Okay," he said, though it came out as a question, perhaps for my sanity. He then, hopped out and walked around the car. I scrunched my eyes closed, trying fervently to banish the thoughts of kissing my best friend from my mind, but utterly failing. Edward opened the door and held his hand out again. I took it, ignoring the electric current it sent through my body, vibrating in my toes all the way up to my navel. I stood up beside him and shivered from being so close to him. His arm snaked its way around my waist as he planted a kiss on my cheek. I froze, keeping my thoughts at bay, and looked up into his smoldering emerald eyes, my own eyes widening too large. He grinned crookedly down at me and held my body closer to his._

_I shivered again, trying my best to keep the pounding of my heart to a minimum, and leaned into the man I knew, deep down, I wanted more than anything else._

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 7 – Failing To Remember**

**Edward**

Drunk. The word seemed so harmless, yet it was most of the time the exact opposite.

I just couldn't believe that I was drunk. More often than not I refused a drink during college, only drinking to unconsciousness once in my lifetime. This would be the second. Not only couldn't I believe that I was drunk, but that she was also. She was never one I would expect to handle alcohol that way, downing one shot after the other.

What confused me most – though the confusion may be due to my intoxicated state – was _why_ there would be alcohol at a charity convention. _Charity,_ for Pete's sake. I didn't even think my father would allow it, but there you are. Or there we are, seeing as we're the drunken ones.

Still, even if I knew both of us would end up like this, I never would even have hoped to think that the thing I wished for most would be given to me tonight. Maybe not _most_, I guess, because I could think of a lot of other stuff that could mean, compliments of the alcohol getting to my head. Maybe the alcohol had already gotten to her head.

Bella had downright refused to dance with me, no matter how many times I used my pouting face on her. Of course, it wasn't _my_ idea that a drink would persuade her. I would've thought that Alice could've seen it coming, but perhaps not. Or perhaps she had meant for this to happen. I'll have to ask her later, if I remember any of tonight in the morning.

But the alcohol had persuaded my dear Bella, and after a few dances and many drinks on both our parts later, she was sitting on my lap as I lay outside against a stonewall. Across the large expanse of yard before us was a beautiful lake, reflecting the night sky, the moon kissing everything in its path sweet silver. At least, that's how Bella described it. She leaned into my embrace as I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her hair. She shivered slightly and I wrapped my jacket tighter around her petite form.

Midway through the gesture, Bella stopped me, grabbing my hands and placing her fingers through mine. Turning, the silver glowing angel turned to face me, scooting herself closer to me as her face became inches way from mine. We stared into each other's eyes for what felt like eternity, as we both forgot our drunken state.

And at the same time, we both dove for the other's lips, hers capturing mine and mine imprisoning hers. Her hands flew free of mine as they planted themselves on my neck and face. As soon as her hands dropped mine, they traveled to her waist, pulling her closer to me, if that were possible, as her legs wrapped around my waist. We couldn't have fit more perfectly together, our lips glued as each contour of her body sculpted to mine.

The passion behind each of our lips, as each caressed the other so delicately, yet so roughly, could not be described. My intoxicated mind could not think of any word to put to the feeling as we deepened the first kiss we shared with each other. _Best friends . . ._ I thought with a laugh.

I let my tongue creep out of my mouth as its burning desire for hers won out. Tracing the outline of her lips, she sighed a whisper of my name and greedily complied with my cry of battle. I groaned loudly as my tongue found hers and I turned us around, pushing her to the ground, hovering lightly over her. I needed her so much . . .

Our lips moving in synchronization danced lithely to the beat of our entwined heartbeats, one on top of the other. Though the music was interrupted with gasps and moans of the other's name, it was a beauty that can't be defined through any word.

She suddenly rolled us over, and pinned me to the ground, our lips nor our tongues ever breaking contact. She straddled my body and I briefly contemplated up or down and went with the obvious up. My hands found the hem of her dress and my fingertips waltzed to her stomach, tickled her skin all the way up. Stopping for but a moment to catch our breaths, we plunged back into the kiss, as I pulled her closer to me, my hands touching her bare back.

Minutes later, we passed out drunk in each other's tangled arms. Seconds before I drifted to sleep, I finally realized that my Bella needed me just as much . . .

.:o0o:.

"Do you think we should wake them?"

"No, they look so cute! And besides, they're both going to have a major hangover. Poor things."

"Alice, you don't think they . . .?"

"No, I'm pretty sure they passed out before it got _that_ intimate. Trust me, even if they didn't pass out, my dear brother is far too moral for his own good."

"But if they were both drunk . . ."

"Jazz, trust me, Bella still insists that they're only best friends."

"Ha, yeah right. More like best friends with benefits."

"Jazz!"

"Ouch, that hurt."

"Sorry."

As my brain tried to make sense of this conversation, the rest of my body slowly awoke into alertness. I was definitely horizontal, though where exactly I was, I didn't know for sure. Probably in a bed, I concluded. And then there was something next to me, in my arms . . . _breathing?_

"I still don't get why it took them so long to finally kiss and why they had to be _drunk_ to finally realize it, for goodness sake. They both obviously feel something for the other. I mean, come on, it's been what? Two months?"

"Three and a half. Not that I'm counting or anything."

"Counting how long we've been together, you mean?"

"You read my mind, Al."

The human form beside me gave a light sigh into my ear that only I could hear. Bella. Her breath still had a lingering scent of alcohol on it. She shifted a bit and whispered one small word.

"Edward." I smiled, hugging her tighter to me.

"See!"

"Calm down, Alice! You'll wake them."

"But don't you see how much they _love_ each other? It's so painfully obvious and both of them are just so blind. And not to mention _stubborn._"

"They'll take their own time to figure it all out. Just let them be, Alice."

"But they'll take so _long._ And if they don't figure it out soon, it's gonna hurt a lot more in the long run. I just know it."

"Let them figure it out themselves, Al."

"Fine. But only because you told me to."

"That's my girl."

I yawned, deciding to interrupt their conversation for reasons unbeknownst. Stretching, I crinkled my nose, and pinched the bridge of it between my index finger and thumb. Talk about a massive headache.

"Oh, finally, you're awake. I thought you two would be out for another few hours, at least," Alice's high voice told me.

"Where am – are we?" I asked weakly, still tired from sleep.

"Your apartment."

"Oh."

Silence dragged on between the four of us, the only sound being our breathing and Bella's occasional whispers and gasps of my name.

"What happened?" I finally asked, looking back and forth between Jasper and Alice, my arm still wrapped around the sleeping beauty.

"You don't remember?" Alice asked.

"The last thing I remember is dancing with Bella to some song."

Jasper and Alice exchanged quick glance and Jasper looked away while Alice's eyes flickered back and forth between the sleeping Bella and me.

"What happened?" I asked, somewhat angrily.

"Well, Edward," Alice said reluctantly, "You two got a little . . . drunk."

"Oh," I replied, "Well that would explain the headache – Oh God! I didn't – I mean, we didn't . . . did we?"

Alice seemed to realize what I was tried to say, because she looked at me with understanding and said softly, "No."

"Oh, thank Go –"

"But you did kind of . . . uh, make out quite a bit," she told me.

"Oh," was all I could answer. I heard her words, yet they did not spin me reeling into a never-ending chain of thoughts as I thought they might. Must be the exhaustion. I asked another question, "What time is it?"

"Um . . ." Alice trailed off, looking for a clock.

"It's twenty after two," Jasper supplied.

"Will she wake up soon? Is she okay?" I asked, stroking Bella's cheek lovingly, trying to remember what it felt like . . .

"I don't know," Alice told me.

Why couldn't I remember? Certainly I _should_ remember something I've been wanting for so long. Was I really that drunk?

"I left painkillers on the counter in the kitchen, if either of you need them. Try to rest or something. I dunno. But we're going to leave now, we only stayed to make sure you guys are all right," Alice informed me, as she and Jasper stood up, hands entwined, and walked out of the room, each giving a faint goodbye.

I rolled over, ignoring the headache, and looked at Bella, who automatically curled back up beside me after I finished moving. I stared at her, memorizing her face, gazing at her lips, trying to remember, looking for some spark of familiarity . . . Maybe if I felt it again . . .

With that thought in my vacant mind, I leaned forward a bit gazing longingly at her lips. Her eyes fluttered the tiniest bit before I pressed my lips to her petal soft ones, and my eyes shut of their own accord.

Next thing I knew, small hands were grasping at my neck, pulling me closer to her and my memory came flooding back, with every detail in sharp focus. I smiled against her lips, positive she was awake now and let out a small whisper, "_My Bella."_

She pulled back, gulping breaths of air down her throat as she smiled sheepishly up at me with a rose blush coloring her cheeks. I grinned crookedly down at her. She giggled a bit and hiccupped. I kissed her nose again, attaching our foreheads together, and staring into her molten chocolate eyes.

"Well, good morning to you, too, Mr. C."

.:o0o:.

**AN: **Okay, this chapter is really weird. I don't like the way it was written, but I meant to write it this way, because Edward is drunk. So he's going to think and act drunk, right? Well, we'll see where it goes from here. I'm not actually sure – which means no sneak peek again, sorry – and I need some suggestions/ideas. I mean, I know where this is going in the long run, but I don't know what's going to happened immediately next. Moose is coming back also, so look for him!

Thanks soooo soooo much to all of you guys!

Laura


	9. Chapter 8: Smoke

AN:

**AN:** Ha, you guys are gonna hate me for this, aren't yuh? Well, c'mon, you must've known their happiness couldn't've lasted forever; I'm too evil. Ah, well. Here you go!

**Mini-Recap:**_ She pulled back, gulping breaths of air down her throat as she smiled sheepishly up at me with a rose blush coloring her cheeks. I grinned crookedly down at her. She giggled a bit and hiccupped. I kissed her nose again, attaching our foreheads together, and staring into her molten chocolate eyes._

_"Well, good morning to you, too, Mr. C."_

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 8 – Smoke**

**Edward**

I smiled at her little pet name for me and hugged her tired form to my body, laying my head on top of hers. Her face was in the crook of my neck and I could feel her eyelashes tickling my skin as she blinked rapidly.

She wriggled out of my grasp and sat up, staring at without actually seeing me. _I guess she's really awake now_, I thought. My eyebrows knit together in uncertainty as I watched her expression turn from confusion to shock, her eyes widening to the size of dinner pl –

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Bella? Bella, what's wrong?" I asked, my headache reaching a new height due to my now probably damaged eardrums. _Damn, that girl can scream._ She only stared at me, her breaths coming out in ragged sounds. Her chest pounded up and down as she looked as if she were deciding something or having a mental battle in her head. Maybe I was rubbing off on her. "Bella?" I repeated warily.

She snapped back to consciousness and let out a small squeak before hastily jumping up and grabbing her surrounding belongings.

"What's wrong, love?" I inquired, watching her puzzled.

"I – I . . . you – we, ugh!" she sputtered, frantically rushing around the room.

"You mean about last night?"

"Obviously," she grumbled, and then yelled at me, "How could y – we?"

"Bells, nothing like _that_ happened, for God's sake," I rolled my eyes as I realized what she was implying. Sigh.

"Well, I know that!" she shouted outraged, "But _something_ happened, Goddamn it!"

"Y-you don't remember?" I was still confused. _What in the world was she yelling at me for?_

"Of course I remember," she screamed, "How could I _not_ remember? How in the world did we get drunk at a _charity convention_!? Tell me that, Cullen!"

I winced. She never called me by just my last name only if she was _really_ mad at me. It only happened once before when we were on a road trip with my family and we took Moose with us. We had stopped at a restaurant for lunch and had to keep the cat in a cage when we weren't in the car so he wouldn't somehow roll down the window and run away – which happened before. But as I was reloading the car, I accidentally left the cat on the roof and we only noticed about five minutes after we drove off. Bella never left the feline alone with me anymore if she could help it.

"Bella, love, please calm down," I said in my most soothing voice, hoping to diminish her anger. If only Jasper and Alice were still here, I mused.

"Calm down? Calm down!" she shrieked. "How the hell am I supposed to _calm down_ when I woke up in bed – in different clothes than I had previously been wearing, thank you very much – next to my _best friend_ and all I can remember is making out with him the night before? Plus a huge headache on top of that!"

I cringed again as soon as she said the words 'best friend'.

"What was I supposed to do?" I asked her quietly, as she stood fuming in anger in front of me. "I was drunk, too, and I only had something to drink because both you and Alice forced me to. I'm really sorry this happened, Bella. I didn't mean for it to, but please just forgive me." I moved towards her, standing up, and attempted to hug her, but she pulled away.

"I'll talk to you later," she grunted, and without further ado, bolted out of my apartment with her clothes in her arms and her shoes strung over her shoulder.

I stood staring at the door, trying to comprehend what just happened. I don't know how long I stood there, but eventually I felt something soft and furry rub at my ankles. I looked down at the housewarming gift Bella and Elza had given me. Smiling, I picked up Moose and scratched behind his little ears while he purred.

"What just happened, hmm?" I murmured to the cat.

"Meow."

"Yeah, I have no clue, either."

"Meow."

"I hear yuh. Who _does_ understand women?"

"Meow."

"Oh, all right. Dinner time."

.:o0o:.

My eyes were glued to the clock. The longer hand was almost vertical and the shorter one was hovering below the nine. Nine o'clock. She still hasn't called yet. Not that I expected her to after her outburst this afternoon, but a man can hope.

I was sitting at the counter, fidgeting restlessly. I scrunched my eyes closed and picked up the phone that had been lying in front of me for the past hour and a half. I had to call. I had to. I speed dialed one and put it on speaker phone, resting my head in my hands and pulling at my hair as I stared down at the screen that read "Calling Bella". Ringing filled my ears. Once. Twice.

"Hello, Edward." That wasn't Bella's voice. I sighed and opened my eyes.

"Alice? What are you doing there?"

"Well, Bella called me after she left your apartment this afternoon and said she needed some girl time," she said exasperatedly, "Which, may I add, you are so rudely intruding upon." It almost hurt to know that Alice was there comforting her instead of me.

"Geez, Alice," I retorted, "I just wanted to make sure she's all right."

"Do you _think_ she's all right?" she whispered harshly at me. "She's in shock, Edward. How would you think she feels after what happened?"

"I don –"

"Hold on a minute, I'll see if she wants to talk to you or not."

"Thanks," I muttered, closing my eyes again. I waited, indistinct noises issuing from my cell phone as Alice scrambled around. Moose had crawled up on the counter and sauntered over to the phone, taking a swipe at it with his paw as he crouched down. I smiled faintly at him, scratching his head to calm him down.

"Edward?" It was Alice.

"Still here," I said, letting out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"She says she's sorry for overreacting and that she didn't call sooner. And that you're still her best friend no matter what," Alice's voice told me.

"Best friends," I scoffed quietly, and then added to Alice, "Does she not want to talk to me herself?"

"She's uh," she hesitated. "She's not in a talking mood right now."

"You say that like she's about to die," I accused sarcastically.

"She's just . . . in denial, I think. She doesn't want to acknowledge the fact that she likes you more than a friend. So she's indulged in some Ben and Jerry and a few chick flicks," Alice explained.

"Oh," I responded shortly. "Make sure she doesn't eat too much so she doesn't get a brain freeze like last time."

"Will do," Alice said. "She also says to remember to feed Moose, in case you forgot. And Edward?"

"Yes?"

"Don't talk about this to her again. Please. Just pretend . . . don't yell at me, okay? But just pretend like nothing happened. Can you do that? Please? For Bella?"

I exhaled, shutting my eyes. _Anything for her. _Quietly, brokenly, I whispered, "Yes."

"Look, I gotta go. If you need anything, just call Emmett or something. 'Kay?"

"Yeah," my whisper was hoarse.

"Bye." And the line went dead.

"Goodbye," I said, pressing the 'end' button. I blinked once and let my face fall into contact with the counter. My eyelids slid over my eyes and the only thought on my mind was the last twenty-four hours.

We were flame, a roaring candle, and now it was abruptly snuffed out. Bella was the smoke, slipping through my fingers as I thought I finally had her in my grasp. I couldn't touch the fire without getting burnt and I couldn't get a hold on the smoke. And I could only stand around and watch as the gray seeped through my fingers, plaguing the air and slowly disappearing.

And then blackness took over.

.:o0o:.

Lying still, I stared into oblivion, trying in earnest to empty my mind and fall back asleep. But my attempts were vain; nothing I could do would get my mind off of my next-door neighbor. Everything in the apartment reminded me of her, and the fact that her scent clung to everything here – especially the pillow she was using less than ten hours ago – was not helping. Every object had a memory stuck to it, all of them filled with Bella. I scowled at the ceiling.

It was midnight, so calling anyone to distract me was out – anyone that would mind talking to me at midnight, that is, seeing as the only person who wouldn't mind wasn't actually talking to me at the moment – and I couldn't think of anything else to do, as everything brought back memories.

Playing piano, for instance; there were too many times when I had played for Bella, sometimes her even asking me to teach her. Watching television just reminded me that we always cuddled up together in my egg chair and muting the television, only to make up our own lines. I was too lazy to hook my laptop up, and even if I did, I doubt that would help even in the slightest. Bella wasn't here to make me any comfort food, and I wasn't hungry anyways. The book on my bedside table was definitely a no, seeing as it was the same one Bella let me borrow. I sighed, realizing how much my life revolved around her.

I stood up, unable to take the peace and quiet anymore, and shoved my hands in my pockets, heading for the door. Moments later, I found myself outside, three floors above the ground, looking to the skies. The balcony only held one Bella memory and I forced it down, thinking of anything else.

"Fancy seeing you out here."

Smiling at the voice I knew so well, that was haunting me for the last few hours, I turned around to see the angelic figure lounging on a lawn chair with a book in her hands. She wasn't looking at me, however, nor was she facing me, so I just turned back to the stars and answered her.

"I was having a hard time falling asleep."

"That makes two of us."

Rotating ninety degrees, I leaned my arms against the banister, peeking at her from the corner of my eye. She was still reading, but by the light of the almost full moon, I could tell that she was staring at the same spot on the page. I sighed for a second time.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," I whispered, barely audible, just loud enough for her to hear me. "I'll do anything for you to forgive me. Just name it."

"You sound as if you're offering a lifetime of service in my debt, Edward."

"If that's what it takes, so be it."

So suddenly that I missed the entire movement, Bella was next to me, leaning against the railing herself, gazing upward. She let out an exasperated sigh and looked me in the eye.

"It's _my_ fault for overreacting," she told me determinedly. "There was no reason for me to, but I did. You did nothing wrong, Edward. The past is the past and I can't change it. _I_ should be the one begging for forgiveness."

"Do you feel that all our arguments are always over who is sorrier than the other?" I asked her with a light smile.

"We just both have a tendency to blame ourselves for everything," she answered. "Let's just . . . let's just be glad that nothing worse happened and forget about it, all right?"

"Yes," I repeated my answer to the same question that came from Alice's lips. I knew it was for the best, but I still felt myself wince a tiny bit at her words. Nevertheless, I pulled my best friend, my pipedream, into my arms where she fit so perfectly.

She laughed her beautiful laugh and pulled away, looking up at me in mock seriousness. I cocked my head to the side and she smiled evilly.

"Did you feed the cat, Mr. Cullen?" she scolded.

I laughed heartily, picking up Bella in my arms and carried her downstairs to my apartment.

"Now there's an adventure I'm going to need some help with."

.:o0o:.

**AN: **The whole smoke thing was from Prisoner of Azkaban. I was watching it this morning and I just love when the one guy says about Sirius, "It's like trying to catch smoke. Like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands." Haha, I love it! Anyways, they're friends again, and Edward just has to suck it up and deal with it. Poor thing. Sorry about the lack of sneak peeks, but I just finished this one now.

Love!

Laura


	10. Chapter 9: Cat Attack

AN:

**AN:** Hey, guys. Sorry about the wait in updates. I got a little writer's block. But never fear! I finally got this chapter the way I wanted. Speaking of which, this chapter is dedicated to my faithful reviewer **sekhmetkitty002**who gave me the idea. Thank you!

**Mini-Recap: **_She laughed her beautiful laugh and pulled away, looking up at me in mock seriousness. I cocked my head to the side and she smiled evilly._

_"Did you feed the cat, Mr. Cullen?" she scolded._

_I laughed heartily, picking up Bella in my arms and carried her downstairs to my apartment._

_"Now there's an adventure I'm going to need some help with."_

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 9 – Cat Attack**

**Edward**

I barged through the door to my apartment with a giggling Bella in my arms. I was euphoric that I had her back, that she didn't hate me, that she was here in my arms clinging to my neck as she smiled brightly. I didn't care that she still only thought of me as a best friend, I only cared that she still wanted me, if only as said friend. I could deal with that. At least, that's what I thought.

We spent the next few hours joking around with each other and laughing like we haven't in ages – only a few days, really – and chasing each other around my apartment. We crashed on my bed sometime in the early hours of the morning, resuming our positions from last night. With a smile plastered on each of our faces, we fell asleep side-by-side, Moose purring in between us.

.:o0o:.

"Isabella Marie Swan!"

I jerked awake at the sound of the male's voice and sat straight up in bed, releasing the form of Bella as I went. In doing so, I came face to face with two fuming blue or green – more like a turquoise – eyes. Blinking rapidly to push away the few remaining traces of sleep, a certain growling brother of Bella's glared at me. Talk about death stares.

"Um, hi?" I said groggily.

"You little –" The rest of the sentence was blocked from my ears as a steel fist connected with the side of my face. Flinching and groaning from the pain, I reached my hand up to touch the tender spot now forming on my cheek. Andrew grinned maliciously at his handiwork.

"Andrew! What the hell was that for?" Bella screamed at him as she finally woke up to the scene. She fidgeted closer to me, trying to pry my fingers away from the bruise on my cheek so she could get a look at it. I winced as the tips of her soft fingers gently touched my skin.

"He was in bed with you!" her brother yelled back at her as her attempted to pick her up away from me.

"Let go of me, you idiot!" Her shout came out a little muffled as she struggled to break free of his grasp. Acting quickly, I pulled her back into the protection of my arms while Andrew aimed another punch in my direction as he lost contact with his sister.

I let Bella go, jumping up – wide awake now – to try and stop Andrew from hurting anyone, pinning his flailing appendages to his side at he snarled at me. Thank God I was stronger than him.

"Just stop it, Andrew," Bella told him rudely, obviously not appreciating her brother at the moment. "Nothing happened. We –"

"NO!" The cry escaped his lips angrily as he ripped free of my grasp and jump on me. We both fell onto the bed – which made an odd cracking noise – and he attacked me as best he could while I tried to block him. I really didn't want to hurt him, but if that were what it would take . . .

"Andrew! Get. Off. Of. Him." Bella threatened in a voice that seriously scared me.

But Andrew didn't get off of me. Instead, he kept trying to punch me, completely ignoring Bella. This was getting out of hand, I thought as I struggled to breathe. I finally managed to gulp in a large amount of air and pushed against him with all my might. Of course, it didn't take that much, but I had him pinned under my body in two seconds flat all the same.

"Now, if you would be so kind to let us explain," I began, glaring at him, "We would greatly appreciate it if you cooperated."

"Geez, Edward," Bella said from behind me, "You sound like we were kidnapping him or something."

I turned my head to beam at her, giving a little wink at which she giggled. I was about to retort with a witty remark, but it was lost to another blow on the opposite cheek. And then Bella screamed.

"Ow," I muttered furiously as I tried to restrain Andrew again. But failing this time, he knocked both of us to the floor and he was on top of me this time, punching me repeatedly. My head throbbed as I blocked most of his hits, and all I could hear was Bella yelling a string of profanities at her brother as she tried in vain to pull him off. I smirked a bit. I definitely was rubbing off on her.

"Reooooooooorw!"

Seconds later, Andrew let out a scream that would rival any girls' and I blinked as I tried to put him into focus. Moose was on top of his head, the bronze fur and tail sticking straight up into the air, as the cat hissed and spit terribly at Bella's brother. Bella stood beside him, a smug grin on her face. After taking in the sight of Andrew desperately trying and failing to throw the feline off of him, she ran over to me and helped me up. We both looked at each other, back to Andrew, and burst out in laughter.

Clutching at our sides and holding on to each other for support, our laughter eventually subsided and Andrew lay against the wall on the floor, breathing heavily. Moose had sauntered over to us, meowing as if claiming a reward for his services, but not without leaving more than a couple scratches on Andrew's skin.

"Bloody cat," Andrew muttered under his breath.

Bella nodded her head at me, giving me a significant glance, and murmured to me, "I'll explain. It'd probably be better if you weren't in his line of sight."

I nodded my head, smiling faintly, and walked into the kitchen. Grabbing a towel and opening the freezer, I tried as best I could to block out the mutterings and semi-shouting from the other room. I took a few pieces of ice from the tray and wrapped them in the cloth. Kicking the freezer shut, I soothed my bruises. I still couldn't comprehend how he hit me so hard.

The sound of shuffling feet met my ears, and I looked around to the doorway only to find Andrew being pushed reluctantly into the kitchen by Bella. She cleared her throat as if signaling something. Her brother sighed and mumbled an apology that I had to strain my ears to catch.

"I don't think he heard you," Bella scolded. I smiled; she sounded just like Mom.

"Sorry," Andrew repeated quietly.

"It's fine," I said dismissively, "I would've done the same thing."

Andrew looked at me in an expression that I couldn't name while Bella rolled her eyes at me. I smirked. Well, I _was_ telling the truth.

"Nice to know I have so many protectors," Bella snorted.

"Oh, come on," I said, "There's only what? Four of us, right?"

"Four?" the siblings asked in unison.

"You," I gestured to Andrew, "Emmett, Jasper, and I."

"Wow," Bella said sarcastically and snorted again. "Good job, Edward. You can count."

"I _do_ have a diploma, thank you very much."

"From what? Kindergarten?"

"So supportive, I see, Bella."

"It's –"

"Um," Andrew interrupted. "I, uh, think I'll just . . . go . . . now."

We said our goodbyes, and just as he was at the door, Bella whispered to me, but just loud enough so that Andrew could hear, "Let's go finish what was interrupted so rudely." Wink. _Oh, God . . . _

"I heard that, missy!"

She laughed. "That was my intention."

Grumbling, Andrew walked out, slamming the door behind him. I clucked my tongue, sending her one of those Do-You-Really-Think-You-Should-Have-Done-That? looks. She shrugged her shoulders and took the cloth from my hand. I sighed and grudgingly let her attend my bruises in silence, trying not to concentrate on the warm of her fingers on my cheek and the scent of her breath across my face.

"I'm really sorry about that," she whispered.

"I'm fine," I said softly. She sighed exasperatedly and stopped rubbing my face. I looked down at her and into the depths of her eyes. Her fingers stretched up again and touched the bottom right corner of my lips. I winced. I think he hit me there, too.

"How bad am I?"

"You look horrible," she told me, and then added with a smirk, "Not that you don't always look horrible."

"Oh, thanks," I said, as my voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Kidding," she said, taking her hand away and grabbing my hand to take me to a mirror, I assumed. "Too bad you didn't plant a punch or two on his face, though."

"I didn't want to hurt him," I replied and she scoffed. Even though I couldn't see her face, I was sure she rolled her eyes, completing the gesture.

Dragging me into the bathroom, she pulled me over to the mirror and pointed to it. Smiling at her, I turned my gaze to the man staring back at me. Spots of blue covered parts of my face leaving little of the pale peach skin, but it didn't look that bad. I was a fast healer, so I knew they would be gone within a day. When I told her that, she just rolled her eyes again, giving her usual response of, "Sure, sure."

A few minutes later, we were back in the kitchen. I was sitting on the stool, elbow on the counter with my chin cupped in my hand. She was standing behind the counter, tapping her fingers on the counter and looking intently at me.

"Well, come on," she said. "We don't have all day here. What do you want for . . . well, I guess it'd be brunch now."

"How 'bout a nice big batch of pancakes?"

"Chocolate chip or blueberry?"

"Surprise me."

"Chocolate chip it is, then," she mumbled to herself and set to work. I tried to help her, but as usual, she just shooed me away and I obliged, trying to stay out of the way. Ten minutes later, after getting dressed and attempting to look somewhat normal, I waltzed back into the kitchen; the scent of pancakes wafting into my nose.

"Smells good," I commented.

"Edward, you _always_ say that about my cooking," she said absentmindedly.

"Well, it's the truth."

She set a big plate down in front of us, pancakes mounting dangerously high, a fork, and two glasses of milk. I frowned. _One fork?_ I looked at her questioningly. Maybe the dishwasher was dirty.

She smiled wickedly and picked up the fork, cutting off a bit of pancake, stabbed it, and held the fork up to my mouth. I grinned crookedly.

"My turn," she said, and I took the bite greedily.

.:o0o:.

From then on, Bella seemed to stay over at my house more and more often. I wasn't complaining. Waking up to see her in my arms was more than I could ask for. Sometimes she woke me up, playing with my hair while she read beside me. Sometimes I woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen. But I always woke up with a smile. No matter how corny that sounds.

But when Alice found out about this . . . well, that's when I really think my ears were damaged beyond repair.

"SHE MOVED IN WITH YOU!?"

"God, Alice," I cringed, "You don't have to be so vocal about it."

"WHY DIDN'T SHE TELL ME!?"

"Alice, calm down. She didn't move in with me. She just hangs out at my place a lot more often. Get a grip, woman."

And with a fume, Alice marched out of my apartment and across the hall to yell at Bella.

Elza didn't seem too conflicted with it, though. In fact, I have reason to believe she tried to persuade Bella to spend more time at my place. Bella informed me of Elza's newly acquired boyfriend. I had told her that I wanted to meet him, but Bella said that one overprotective brother was enough for her sister.

But I didn't care. All I really wanted was Bella. And that was unlikely to change anytime soon.

.:o0o:.

**AN: **Sigh. Another chapter without a sneak peek. I sincerely apologize. I just don't know if I'm going to use what I wrote for next chapter. It's kind of . . . I don't know. It was about three in the morning when I wrote it, and I had just been listening to Sweeney Todd. Haha. Maybe I'll just give it to you guys as an outtake. Hmmm . . .

Thanks so much to all of you!

Laura


	11. Outtake

**AN: (**This is not a chapter!**)** Okay, guys, here's the outtake I told you about last chapter. I didn't like it enough to make it an actual chapter and I thought that Bella and Edward getting drunk once is enough. But I really actually like this, despite the fact that it was three in the morning after a long hour of extensive Sweeney Todd singing when I wrote this. Haha.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight. I don't own the Wombats or their songs. I don't own Sweeney Todd or the lyrics. Boo hoo.

.:o0o:.

**Outtake – How 'Bout A Drink?**

**Edward**

I couldn't believe I agreed to watching this . . . again. If the first time was bad, this time was five hundred times worse. I had crinkled my nose up in disgust and groaned when she held the DVD case up in front of my face with such and enormous smile on her lips. I just couldn't say no. I couldn't.

But here I was anyways, Bella at my side with popcorn on the table and a beer in her hand, listening to the opening music of the only musical I had ever watched with her: Sweeney Todd. After the first time we watched it together, she told me that she went out and bought the movie _and_ the soundtrack she loved it so much. I only shook my head at her, muttering under my breath.

At least there was a bit of blood in the movie, or else I would have point-blank rejected the very thought of even watching it. Even if she did give me the puppy eyes. Still, the blood just looked like store-bought red paint, so it wasn't that much of a plus.

I almost burst out laughing when Bella started to sing along with the first song. Almost. But under her death glare – which I really believe she must have picked up from her brother – I fell silent. Sighing, I just smiled as I listened to her sing. She knew every single word and her facial expressions mimicked those of the characters she was singing along with. I idly wondered how many times she had watched this before.

About halfway through the movie, I could tell she was definitely drunk. I tried and tried to get her to stop at two beers, but she, being the stubborn creature she is, ignored me and downed another one. The main character, some skunk-haired barber – which I was beginning to think was one of the reasons she bought this movie, seeing as her smile grew bigger and her eyes glazed over every time he was on the screen – was yelling about a judge something. And Bella, of course, was singing right along with him. Only this time, she added in a few different words of her own. Yes, I was positive she was drunk.

"_They all deserve to die. Tell you why, _Mr. Cullen,_ tell you why.  
__Because in all of the whole _vampire_ race, _Mr. Cullen,  
_There are two kinds of _vamps _and only two.  
_There's the one with human blood on his pearly teeth,  
And the other one feasting on some juicy beef.  
_Look at me, _Mr. Cullen,_ look at you.  
__No, we all deserve to die . . ."_

Cracking up at her made up lyrics, I only just saw her get up, a beer still clutched in her left hand, to dance along with the music. _Maybe there was another advantage to this movie, _I thought. After this song was finished and another one started, she was still on her feet, grinning like a maniac. I was thoroughly surprised, though, when she pulled me off my feet and started waltzing around the living room with me, a mirror image of the movie scene. I never in a million years thought Bella would willingly dance without someone persuading her to.

She was giggling madly and out of control, so I thought it best to sit her back down on the couch. Lying down on the sofa, I pulled her head onto my lap and started to stroke her chocolate locks. She stayed normal for a while – as normal as my Bella could ever be – and absorbed herself in the movie. Paying more attention to the crazy woman beside me, I didn't exactly notice when the musical changed from its usual black, gray, white, and red color scheme to something more vivid.

Bella sat up immediately, squealing something about her favorite part. Completely facing me, she sat on her knees, beaming wildly at me. As soon as the music started, she went back to her movie-mirror-slash-drunk state and sang along with the music. But not before planting a kiss on my cheek. Which utterly bewildered me. Until, that is, I noticed the female actor on screen doing exactly the same thing.

"_Ooh, _Mr. C_! _(kiss)_  
I'm so happy! _(kiss)_  
I could _(kiss)_  
Eat you up, I really could!  
You know what I'd like to do, _Mr. C_?_ (kiss)_  
What I dream _(kiss)_  
If the business stays as good?  
Where I'd really like to go,  
In a year or so?  
Don't you want to know?"_

She sang along with the second verse, filling in 'Mr. C' for Mr. Todd. But for the third verse, she sang something completely different, though I doubt she made it up.

_"With the sea at our gate, we'll have kippered herring  
Wot have swum to us straight from the Straits of Bering!  
Ev'ry night, in the kip, when we're through our kippers,  
I'll be there slippin' off your slippers!  
By the sea . . ."_

And with those words, she was suddenly on my lap, tracing her fingers over the upper part of my chest, which was exposed from my lack of fastening the top three buttons on my shirt. I stared in shock at her lips as the lyrics of the song rolled off her tongue. _No, Edward, don't think about that._ So instead, I paid attention to the words. Bad idea.

_"But a seaside wedding could be devised,  
__Me rumpled bedding legitimized . . ."_

I shivered involuntarily. Less than a heartbeat later, I heard the wedding march, as I gazed deeply into Bella's eyes. _Oh, nooo . . ._

_"I do,"_ Bella whispered to me.

_"And do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"_ the movie-priest asked.

"I do." The words slipped out of my mouth without my brain forming a coherent thought to say them. I knew what would happen next without looking over Bella's shoulder at the TV for guidance.

She kissed me.

_She_ kissed _me_.

But the stupid little voice in the back of my head, being what it was, reminded me that she was drunk and I was not, so I struggled to refrain from taking advantage of her. Besides, I wasn't that type of guy. Sure, I wanted it, wanted it very badly – too badly – but what kind of 'best friend' would I be then?

Gently putting my hands on her shoulders as she grabbed the front of my shirt in attempts to deepen the kiss, I firmly – albeit reluctantly – pushed her away. And I have to admit, she put up a good effort, despite being drunk, trying as hard as she could to plant her lips back on mine. When she finally admitted defeat, she sat back down and crossed her arms with a frown disgracing her beautiful features.

"You're no fun, Edward," she grumbled.

"Bella, love, you have no idea what you're saying, let alone what you're doing," I told her, rubbing soothing circles on her arm. She nudged my hand away and gave a big 'humph'.

As the end credits were rolling, I promised myself one thing.

I would never watch this movie again as long as I lived.

.:o0o:.

**AN: **Hope you liked it! There's a link on my profile (at the bottom) where you can see all the dresses, etc. if you wanted to know what they looked like. I very much suggest looking at them. I based Bella's Chapter 3 dress off of my semi dress, so I knew what it looked like just from looking in my closet. But I love Elza's Chapter 6 dress, hands down. P.S. Go vote on my poll about this story.

Please and thank you,

Laura


	12. Chapter 10: Lost Cause

AN:

**AN:** Okay, so this chapter is way overdue and a little short. Okay, fine, really short. But I like it. By the way, go vote on my poll about what you guys want with this story. Thanks!

**Mini-Recap:**_Elza didn't seem too conflicted with it, though. In fact, I have reason to believe she tried to persuade Bella to spend more time at my place. Bella informed me of Elza's newly acquired boyfriend. I had told her that I wanted to meet him, but Bella said that one overprotective brother was enough for her sister._

_But I didn't care. All I really wanted was Bella. And that was unlikely to change anytime soon._

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 10 – Lost Cause**

**Edward**

My loud exhale transformed into a growling grumble, mimicking my stomach. Not to say that I was in a bad mood – a bad mood and very hungry – but it was a lie to say that I was in a good mood, nonetheless. I was always like this, though, when Bella wasn't around.

It just happened to be one of those rare days – though not as rare as sunny days – when Alice and Rose had dragged the two sisters next door out shopping. I knew Elza didn't mind, but Bella . . . well, she was different story. Peeking down at my watch, a habit every five or so minutes, I groaned when I realized there was at least four more hours until they would be home. Ugh.

"Oh, get a grip, Edward," Emmett shot at me, as he concentrated on the TV screen intently. "It's not like she'll never come back."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I grumbled as I watched Jasper and Emmett race each other on some video game. Sighing again, I realized that I was getting too attached to Bella. I couldn't even find it in my heart to spend time with my other best friends, I thought guiltily. Not like I could help it, though. My heart was filled to the brim with Bella.

Growing bored of observing the two men not two feet from the television, I grabbed my keyboard and plugged the headphones in. My eyes slid shut and seconds later the sound of Bella's Lullaby filled my ears. I internally rolled my eyes at myself. Even subconsciously, I couldn't keep my mind off of her. Opening my eyes, I tried to distract myself by concentrating on the keys, the ebony and ivory filling my vision. I touched each one lightly as my fingers flew over them, noticing how the ivory keys matched Bella's skin tone almost perfectly. And how the black clusters resembled the dark eyelashes that framed the eyes of flaming chocolate.

I scrunched my eyes closed again, blocking that train of thought from my brain. My fingers shifted slightly and the piece slowly drifted into one of Mom's favorites. I relaxed, trying to think of nothing but the composition and each and every note that my fingertips created. Letting my guard down a tiny bit, my emotions opened up to the melody, light and airy and elegant. I could easily tell why Mom loved it. But as I listened intently to the music, the blackness of my eyelids turned to a vivid image of Bella. Of how Bella's eyes lit up when she saw me and how my heart skipped a few beats when she pulled me into a hug, electricity running through my veins at the contact as her hair gave off the most fragrant scent of strawberries . . .

I banged my head on the keys, the groan of the mixture of notes ringing in my ears. I gritted my teeth, trying to find the off button for my brain. So abruptly that I barely noticed it, the noise of the keyboard left my ears and the headphones were ripped from my head. Lifting my head up only a fraction of an inch, I opened one eye to see that I had an audience.

"Edward, you okay?" Jasper asked, though I could tell that he knew full well that I was not okay. _Stupid Jasper and his perceptive emotion senses._

"Sure, sure," I automatically replied, then winced as I reminded myself where I picked that up from.

"No, you're not," Emmett said bluntly. "It's about women, isn't it?"

"Not just any woman, Emmett," Jasper said to him, "It's –"

"Bella," they said in unison, turning their gaze back to me. Not wanting to hurt my keyboard I put it down on the ground and refrained from banging my head on anything else. Instead, I opted for putting my head in my hands, as my fingers gripped my hair. I subtly nodded my head for them, although they already knew they were right.

"I'm fighting a lost cause, aren't I?" I asked.

"Nah, you're not," Emmett said, patting me on the back as he sat down next to me. "She's just stubborn."

"I know _that_," I grumbled.

"But what you don't know," said Jasper as he sat down on the other side of me, "Is that she feels the same way. Or almost the same way."

I snorted. _Maybe in a million years._

"I'm serious," he continued, "Don't you notice the way she smiles differently when you're around? It's not the same smile when you're not with her. And you guys are _always_ together."

"Yeah," Emmett interrupted, "I mean, she did move in with you."

I punched his shoulder, satisfied when a small 'umph' left his mouth.

"Still," Jasper said as if nothing happened, "It's not hopeless. I can just tell that she would be lost without you. Actually, everyone can see that. Everyone but you."

"I just –" I stopped, reaching into my pocket for my vibrating phone. It was Bella. I half-smiled, telling them to hold on. Flipping open the phone, I answered, "Hello, love."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jasper and Emmett exchange glances, mouthing 'Bella' to each other.

"Such a caring brother, aren't you?" Alice's voice answered me.

"Alice? What are you doing with Bella's phone?" I asked, confused. Turning away from Emmett and Jasper, I walked over to the window.

"Well, we were shopping, and –"

"Yeah, yeah, I know that," I told her.

"Let me finish," she scolded.

"Fine."

"We were shopping and Bella's stuck deciding between two different bathing suits and she doesn't know which one she wants and all of us can't decide, either. So I thought it would be best if we asked your opinion. I'm using Bella's phone only because I know you'd be more willing to talk to her than me," she said in a rush.

"Um," I stumbled, "And how am I supposed to help?"

"You get pictures on your phone, right?"

I swallowed, blinking. "Yeah."

"Well, then, check the two pictures I just sent you."

Putting her on speakerphone, I scrolled through my phone, finding the pictures that had just been sent to me only seconds ago. I opened the first one and my jaw dropped, my eyes widening.

Even though the picture was very small, due to the size of the cell phone screen, I could see it in perfect detail. Bella was standing in the doorway of a tiny dressing room, the door ajar and a mirror behind her. Her chocolate hair cascaded down her bare back, contrasting to her pale skin. She was wearing a baby blue bikini that complimented her _very_ well. The only thought that ran through my mind was that it was _really_ unfair that I couldn't be there in person.

I stood gazing at the miniscule picture for who knows how long when I suddenly heard Bella's voice pull me out of my trance.

"Who are you talking to, Alice?"

"Lover boy," she replied.

"Oh," Bella said, and then paused. "Why are you using my phone to talk to Jasper?"

"No, silly," Alice told her. "I'm talking to _your_ lover boy, not mine."

In the silence, I could almost hear Bella blush. Seconds later, she gasped.

"NO!" she shouted, scrambling near Alice. "You promised not to show Edward those pictures!"

"Uh," I hesitated, finally finding my voice. "Am I on speaker?"

"Obviously," Alice replied.

"Edward, don't look at them!" Bella yelled.

In the background, I heard Alice muttering, "Too late."

"Why?" I asked. "You look –"

"Horrible," she whimpered.

"I was thinking something more along the lines of dazzling," I told Bella with a grin.

"Ed –"

A wolf whistle interrupted Bella's response, bringing my attention to the two men standing behind me, peeking over my shoulder at the picture.

"Damn, Bella," Emmett said. The girls in the background giggled, and I could hear Rosalie murmur something about her boyfriend. Emmett heard it, too.

"Geez, Rose, I'm only joking," he laughed.

"Did you see the other one yet?" Alice asked.

"Getting there," I mumbled.

"Alice," Bella whined.

Quickly opening the other one, my jaw dropped again as both Emmett and Jasper let out low whistles. Bella was grumbling on the other end of the line. I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to clear my mind, so I could help the girls decide. It wasn't working.

This one had Bella in the same pose with different swimwear adorning her body. It was a different style than the other, but flattered her just the same. Darker blue with a sailboat pattern, it covered a bit more than the other one, but I still wished to be there with her all the same. The picture of Bella rendered me more speechless than usual while I was in her presence.

"So, er, which one do you like better?" Bella asked self-consciously.

"Am I allowed to say both?" I questioned.

"NO!" Alice, Elza, and Rose all screamed at once.

"Well," Jasper said, recovering first from the short bout of laughter, "I like the second one better. It contrasts nicely with your skin tone."

Emmett and I looked at Jasper with a similar mask of confusion and astonishment on our faces.

"I've taught you well, Jazz," Alice said with a smile in her voice.

"Thanks, Al," he replied. I rolled my eyes.

"Either one, Bella," Emmett said before returning to the video game with Jasper.

"What about you, Edward?" Alice pressed.

"Umm," I hesitated. _What was I supposed to say?_ "I guess . . . wait. Er, why are you guys shopping for bathing suits?"

"Because we're going to the beach tomorrow!" Alice shouted excitedly. I groaned. Going to the beach in this kind of weather? But my outlook brightened when I remembered that Bella was going to be there, too.

"The beach?" I asked skeptically.

"Yeah! It's going to be so much fun, trust me," Alice tried to reassure me.

"But, but, -" I stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse.

"Edward," Bella's voice said soothingly. I instantly relaxed. "It won't be that bad. Besides, it's supposed to be sunny tomorrow. Shocker, right? Please come, Edward. Please."

"Of course, love," I said, dazed. I had no idea what I was saying or what I was agreeing to; all my attention was on Bella. I didn't even noticed Emmett and Jasper snickering behind me.

"Good," Alice said, taking over again. "Now, pick one."

"Uhh . . ." I blinked, trying to focus. "Which one do you like better, Bella?"

"I don't think I need a new one. They forced these on me! And besides, they're both way too expensive."

"Bella," Alice whined. "You do too need a new one. And it's nothing, I'll pay for them."

"No –"

"I like the second one, too," I blurted out.

"Finally," Alice sighed exasperatedly. "See you guys soon!"

"Alice!" Bella yelled. And the line went dead. I flipped the phone shut and turned on my heel to face the still-sniggering Emmett and Jasper.

"What?" I asked.

"Dude," Emmett told me, "You are _so_ whipped." Jasper nodded his head in agreement.

I growled. "Am not."

But my mood had lightened considerably since before the phone call. I smiled, thinking of Bella. _Lost cause, _I scoffed. _I could change that, can't I? Lost cause, my foot._

.:o0o:.

**AN: **I'll put both bathing suits on the link in my profile. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please let me know. Sorry about the lack of sneak peeks. I'll try to get more writing done, I promise.

Lots of love,

Laura


	13. Chapter 11: No Objections

AN:

**AN:** Another Bella chapter. This one is longer (I know, thank God, right?) just because I obviously don't write in Bella's point of view very often and I love to. I just want to say that I _love_ this chapter. It got some of the fluff in my head out. The only thing I don't like about this chapter is the title. I spent the last ten minutes thinking of one, and this was the only one that I semi-liked and semi-fit. Oh, well. Enjoy!

**Mini-Recap:**_"Dude," Emmett told me, "You are so whipped." Jasper nodded his head in agreement._

_I growled. "Am not."_

_But my mood had lightened considerably since before the phone call. I smiled, thinking of Bella. _Lost cause, _I scoffed. _I could change that, can't I? Lost cause, my foot.

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 11 – No Objections**

**Bella**

Compared to the warmth supporting me, it was really cold out. Not like it's never cold in this town. But you missed the phrase: _compared to the warmth supporting me._ And there's also the fact that there was a driftwood fire burning not two feet from me. Take away those factors, and it was relatively warm. Warm enough for swimming, even.

I leaned back against Edward's unnaturally warm chest – _his bare chest _– and crossed my arms. Leaning my head back to look up into his emerald eyes, I tried to persuade him again. Maybe I should start working on my pout a little more often.

He looked down at me, his eyes sparkling in the light of the blue and green flames, and smiled as if he knew exactly what I was doing. Of course, he knew me so well, he probably did. I jutted my bottom lip out and his smile grew wider, his eyes gleaming. What I wouldn't give to read his mind for a day.

"Please?" I asked softly, drawing out the word. He grinned crookedly, showing his perfect white teeth. He chuckled softly in my ear, sending shivers down my spinal cord. Noticing, he held me closer and fiddled with the strings on the side of my bathing suit bottom. I shuddered again, this time accompanied with a blush. Curse him.

"You _still _want to go swimming, despite how cold you actually are?" he asked, his hair tickling my cheek as his nose traveled the length from my neck to shoulder and back again. I could almost feel the goose bumps rising on my arms as he tortured me.

"I'm not cold," I told him defiantly.

"Stubborn Bella," Emmett commented from across the circle we were situated in around the campfire. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"_I_ came to the beach to have a little fun," I replied, "Not to sit around and do _nothing._"

"We aren't doing nothing, Bella," Alice said from beside Edward. "We're enjoying a lovely meal."

"Well, I'm not hungry."

"The rest of us are," Rosalie mumbled, shifting slightly from her perch on Emmett's lap as she shoved a chip in her mouth.

"Besides, love," Edward said, his muscles flexing from underneath me. I drew a shaky breath. "You're supposed to wait at least an hour before going swimming, remember?"

"But I haven't eaten anything since nine o'clock this morning!" I protested.

"I don't want you to catch a cold or anything," he argued, rubbing his hands up and down my shoulders.

"I'm not nearly as fragile as you seem to think I am."

"Then, excuse me for caring for your well-being."

"I'll just go out there myself, if no one cares to join me," I said, attempting to get up.

"Bella, love, sit back down," Edward told me sternly.

"Edward," I whined.

"Oh, stop it you two," Alice interrupted. "You're bickering like an old married couple."

The obvious blush crept its into my cheeks. Trying one last time, I turned around to face Edward, straddling my legs on either side of him. I smiled mischievously when his eyes widened in shock. I pouted again, making my lip quiver, and looked up at him through my eyelashes. This was going to work. I knew it would. It always did.

"Please, Edward?" I asked tenderly, faking my best impression of a puppy's longing eyes. He groaned and gave in. My mischievous smile returned as he stood up, taking me with him. I heard Emmett and Jasper snigger quietly and I was pretty sure I heard the word 'whipped' thrown in with the laughter.

Walking around the fire, he threw me up over his right shoulder in one swift motion. Squeaking loudly in surprise, I beat my fists against his back, trying to get him to put me down. More laughter chorused from around the fire as Edward began to walk towards the waves crashing on the beach. Giving up, I rested my chin in my hand, letting my elbow rest against his back. I looked down, intending to see the sand. I giggled. It was quite a view from right here.

"Go get 'em, Tiger!" Emmett called from behind us. Blushing again, I looked up at him and stuck my tongue out again. Edward let out a loud growl, but I couldn't decide whether it was supposed to be seductive or angry. I definitely thought it was the former, though he might have intended it to be the latter. Grinning impishly again, I slapped his ass – his perfectly muscled ass. _God, he doesn't even work out._ Jeers and catcalls erupted from behind us as Edward swung me completely on his back.

"Having fun?" he asked.

"Bucket loads," I answered, wrapping my legs around his waist.

Being intimate – there's no other word to accurately describe it – with Edward like this was second nature to me. Simple, easy. Even though I was sometimes nervous or that jolt of shock ran through my body, it was almost as if it were meant to be. But Edward was only my friend. My _best_ friend. And that's all we were. All we wanted to be. _Right?_ I questioned myself.

I thought back to the drunken night we had together. Maybe it was due to the alcohol, but it just seemed so perfect, so . . . _right._ Kissing him, touching him, waking up next to him . . . the list went on forever. Not that most of those things weren't something I already did with him, except for the kissing. That was definitely not at the top of my 'Things To Do With My Best Friend' list. No matter how much I wanted it to be.

But there was the simple fact that kept me going. Kept me fighting, kept me believing, that one day things would work out. Somehow. The fact that I needed him. And vice versa. Because somehow I knew that we would not be the people we were today if either of us left the other. And I knew that neither of us never even thought about that. It would be too painful.

So what was holding us back? I didn't know. There was something inside of me that just . . . wouldn't. Couldn't, more like. Like I had forgotten something, but I subconsciously remembered it without knowing consciously. Was I scared? I didn't think so. Something was holding me back. But I wished it wouldn't.

Lost in my thoughts, I only noticed that Edward had already waded into the ocean when he slid me off his back and I fell into the shocking ice-cold water. I jumped back up automatically to cling to him, but slipped and fell butt first into the sea. Edward looked at me blankly for a second, then threw his head back and burst out in laughter.

"Mr. C, I don't see what's so funny," I grumbled, trying to get back up and falling down again. Still chortling, he held his hand out to me in attempts to help me back on my feet. I took his hand gently and suddenly yanked it down, him falling with it, seeing as his arm _was_ attached to the rest of his body.

But what I wasn't expecting was when Edward's body fell right on top of mine, pushing me into the wet sand, his bare flesh against my exposed skin. The air catching in my throat, I looked into the green depths of his eyes, and felt my heart hammering. The contact of our skin had sent the familiar shock through my veins, leaving me immobile. There was nothing but us . . .

"Oh, just kiss already!"

We broke eye contact and glared at our friends, who had all just simultaneously shouted, effectively ruining the moment. They only stood there under our death stares and laughed. If I weren't so clumsy, they would be getting it real bad right now. Hmph.

I wrenched my gaze back to Edward, who had his usual crooked grin on his face as he looked down at me. I shivered, but not from the cold. From the warmth of his skin on mine. Even propping himself up with his arms, we were still so close that every time either of us drew breath, our chests would collide. Not that I minded.

After a few minutes of a pointless staring contest, Edward stood up, pulling me with him. As usual, we commenced our best friend act – which wasn't actually an act, but that's what I called what we did after our 'intimate' encounters – and ran around in the water, splashing each other and laughing like idiots. Eventually the rest of the crew joined us, just as I knew they would, not minding – or even noticing – the insanely freezing water.

Once we let our entire inner child out, the rest of the gang went back to the dwindling fire while Edward and I decided to take a walk on the beach. Hand in hand, we walked along the edge of the water, occasionally dipping our feet in. We strolled along in comfortable silence, just relishing in each other's presence. I snorted at that thought. Like we didn't have enough of each other. I practically lived with him, for crying out loud! But I didn't mind. Every second without Edward was like a moment of my life wasted. Geez, I sounded way too attached. Oh, well.

I crinkled my nose at that thought as I remembered who I was going to visit tomorrow. Mom was way too perceptive for her own good. I briefly contemplated the pros and cons of taking Edward with me. To take him or not to take him? I giggled at myself. _Silly Bella._ I smiled as I thought that. It was one of Edward's favorite pet names for me, besides all the British sounding ones.

"What are you thinking about, love?" Edward asked, breaking though my thoughts.

"Well, right at this very moment," I began, "I was thinking about those little nicknames you call me. What are you, British?"

"Must have inherited it from Mom," he replied, grinning, which then brought me back to what I was previously thinking about. Well, better bring it up now and then see if he wants to come. I was ninety-nine percent sure he would, though. He hated being away from me. I was the same way.

"And before that," I continued, "I was thinking about _my_ Mom."

"And what about your lovely mother?"

I giggled. "Well, just the fact that I was planning on going to see her tomorrow and . . . I was debating whether or not to take you with me, actually."

"I would love to meet your mom, Bella," he said sincerely. I sighed, trying to decide if that was good or bad. On the one hand, I didn't want to be away from Edward, but on the other hand . . . Mom was probably going to jump to conclusions. Agreeing that he could come along, we headed back to our friends, who were still lounging in the sand, conversing lightly. We sat back down in our previous spot – or, more like, Edward sat down and pulled me completely on his lap, as I blushed red.

"So, Bella," Rose said, "Tell me again why Elza couldn't come with us?"

"She already had a date with her boyfriend and didn't want to cancel. I told her they both could come with all of us, but she refused," I explained, adding under my breath, sarcastically, "I wonder why."

"Who's she dating?" Alice asked eagerly.

Gritting my teeth, I answered reluctantly, "Jacob Black."

"What!?" Emmett and Jazz exclaimed, making both of their respective girlfriends jump. Rosalie scowled at the name, as did I. Both Edward and Alice looked slightly confused.

"Jacob Black? _The_ Jacob Black?" Rose asked, angrily and stunned, but still scowling.

"Yeah," I answered quietly.

"I still want to punch his face in," Em growled. Jasper gave a grunt of agreement.

"Don't," I advised them.

"Why?" the two youngest Cullens asked in unison, both still confused.

"Jaco –" Jasper snarled.

"Let me explain," I said, trying to calm one of the calmest people I knew. Turning to Alice and Edward, I began the story. "Jacob Black was one of my best friends in college. That was before Rose and I became friends and way before I even met Emmett or Jasper. He was the son of my dad's best friend, ironically enough.

"Jake always told me he was in love with me and all of that stuff, -" Rosalie scoffed and Emmett growled again. "- but I told him that I didn't return the feelings. Of course, that didn't stop him. Obviously."

"He was almost as bad as Mike Newton," Jasper commented, remembering.

"Let me finish," I said, "Anyways, I dated him for a while, trying to get him off my back and I – well, I guess I kind of fell for him, too. But then . . ." I trailed off, pausing.

"Yeah?" Edward urged over the silent roars of my three college friends.

"Then he started to get all . . . I dunno. Creepy? Insane? I can't describe it. He had this weird sudden growth spurt and started seeing me less and less. I didn't understand it. When I confronted him about it, he just started telling me about all the stupid stuff his dad believed in – vampires and werewolves and shit – wasn't mythical at all, but actually real."

"And?" Alice asked.

"And after I broke up with him – telling him he needed to be checked into a mental ward – I never saw him again. Until two weeks ago, when he came knocking on the door. Elza answered it and they've been inseparable for days."

I looked at everyone. Alice was surprised and slightly disgusted. Jazz, Em, and Rose all had their noses crinkled in repulsion, glancing between each other and me. I turned around and saw that Edward's face was nothing short of outraged. I really hoped he wouldn't kill anyone. _I_, for one, wasn't going to be bailing him out of jail. Then again, maybe I would, out of loneliness. But I digress.

"You guys," I said, empathizing the word 'guys', "Don't do anything stupid or rash. Please? Elza's actually really happy. And Jake's not _that_ bad. He just has issues with reality."

They all mumbled some form of agreement, none of which I approved, and soon found myself back home. Home as in Edward's place. Which truly felt like my real home. Minutes late, I lay in bed reading, beside a peacefully sleeping Edward.

Peeking down at him from the corner of my eye, I had a strange – but not unfamiliar and definitely not uncommon – urge to kiss his soft lips. Turning back to my book, I threw all the attention I had into it, trying desperately to distract myself. It didn't work. My eyes kept wandering over to his slightly parted lips, just begging me to touch them. He was such a deep sleeper . . .

So fast that I wasn't even aware what I was doing, I leaned down over the sleeping angel and pressed my lips to his, smiling. Just a quick peck. That was all I needed. Certainly not all I wanted, but still.

I licked my lips, savoring the taste of Edward's lips, and fell asleep next to him. I was too out of it to notice the smile gracing the angel's lips or the two arms that had wrapped around me, pulling me closer.

.:o0o:.

**AN: **Hope you liked it! And look! I even got a sneak peek for you guys. Even though it's just the beginning of next chapter. But still, better than nothing, no? P.S. Go vote on my poll. Please?

**Sneak Peek:**

_Colliding with something as I rolled over, the smile left over from my dream lingered on my face, widening when the thing I rolled on top of started giggling. A stubborn Bella in reality was better than a willing Bella in my dreams._

_"Oops," I said, while stifling a yawn. She giggled again. Must still be in that morning state._

_"Sleep well?" she asked as if she was hiding something._

_"Hmm," I said, pretending to ponder. "I fell asleep with a beautiful girl by my side, dreamt of said amazing girl all night, and woke up to find the same stunning girl in my arms. I must have slept _terribly_." I wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in the crook of her neck._

Thanks to all of you,

Laura


	14. Chapter 12: Mother In Law?

AN:

**AN:** Sorry for the delay. This chapter was a bugger. I pulled out lots of my hair over this chapter. Ugh. Whatever. The next chapter will be better. I hope.

**Mini-Recap:**_ So fast that I wasn't even aware what I was doing, I leaned down over the sleeping angel and pressed my lips to his, smiling. Just a quick peck. That was all I needed. Certainly not all I wanted, but still._

_I licked my lips, savoring the taste of Edward's lips, and fell asleep next to him. I was too out of it to notice the smile gracing the angel's lips or the two arms that had wrapped around me, pulling me closer._

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 12 – Mother-In-Law?**

**Edward**

Colliding with something as I rolled over, the smile left over from my dream lingered on my face, widening when the thing I rolled on top of started giggling. A stubborn Bella in reality was better than a willing Bella in my dreams.

"Oops," I said, while stifling a yawn. She giggled again. Must still be in that morning state.

"Sleep well?" she asked as if she was hiding something.

"Hmm," I said, pretending to ponder. "I fell asleep with a beautiful girl by my side, dreamt of said amazing girl all night, and woke up to find the same stunning girl in my arms. I must have slept _terribly_." I wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in the crook of her neck.

She laughed again, a blush staining her cheeks an astonishing pink. "Well, at least one of us slept soundly. I was up all night."

"No, you weren't," I argued. "I could even hear you in my sleep, moaning and groaning all night."

She blushed again. "What did I say this time?"

"Nothing short of the usual," I told her with a huge grin. "Only you said the usual _a lot_ more often."

"And what do I usually say?"

"My name," I answered simply. Her eyes widened as her cheeks grew redder and she tried to hide her face under the covers. I grabbed the sheets away from her face. "Don't hide your face, my Bella."

"Humph," she said, throwing the sheets back anyways and getting out of bed, stretching. "Well, come on. Up and at 'em, Edward."

I groaned, trying to pull her back down beside me, but she resisted. _Damn my morning weakness._ "Just a little bit longer, Mom?" I pleaded.

"Nope," she said, laughing. "Rise and shine, pretty boy, today's going to be a long day."

"How so?" I asked into a pillow, smelling Bella's scent on it.

"Visiting my mom, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," I said through a yawn. She was on my side of the bed now, smiling as she played with my hair, which seemed to be some weird obsession of her lately. Grinning into my pillow, I quickly reached and grabbed her waist, pulling her back onto the bed. She yelped, but gave in nonetheless.

"Edward," she said sternly, "We're going to have to get going soon if we want to visit Mom for the day and come home before nightfall."

I grunted, muffled by the pillow, and tightened my grip on her. Sighing, she turned towards me, and put her small hands on my bare chest. I shivered from the touch. Gently, she rolled me over so I was sprawled over the entire bed. I looked up at her through my tired eyes. She was grinning evilly.

I knew what she was about to do only half of a second before she did it, which left me no time for defense. Her hands had moved to my stomach and started tickling. _My weak spot._

"Bella!" I yelled, laughing uncontrollably and shaking. Her laughter mingled with mine as she continued to tickle me fiercely. Through my laughter, I could barely manage to choke out coherent words. "Bella! – stop . . . it, I'm – u – up!"

"You know I show no mercy," she smiled, showing no signs of letting up.

"Bella!" I moaned, still laughing and short on breath. She's woken me up like this only twice before; once, I was late for work, and the other time, she wanted me to save her from a shopping trip with my insane sister.

"Could you two be any less conspicuous about what you're doing in there?" _Speak of the devil . . ._

"You can come in, Alice!" Bella yelled. Alice barged through the door carefully with a confused expression on her face.

"Oh," she said quietly. "Why do you guys have clothes on? It sounded like you were seducing my brother, Bella."

Bella blushed the reddest I've ever seen her blush before. Well, there was a good reason. I burst into more laughter at Alice's words, though I knew a part of me wished they were true. I internally sighed. What I wouldn't give . . . _Shut up, Edward._

"Anyways," Alice said, louder now, "I came over here to see if you wanted to go shopping, Bella."

"I can't," Bella replied, crinkling her nose in disgust at the subject. "Seriously. Edward and I are going to see my mom today. I promised her I would visit. And anyways, we all went two days ago!"

"Oh," Alice repeated, frowning. With nothing more to say, she walked out of our room, out of our apartment – and it really was _ours_ now – muttering something about Elza and the mall.

"Well, that got rid of her," Bella commented idly.

"Maybe we should try that excuse more often," I said, grinning up at her. I placed my hands over hers, which were now resting on my chest as she sat on top of me, her legs pinning me down on either side. She looked down at me, blushing for the millionth time this morning, and seemed to realize her position. Chuckling, I pushed her off of me and started tickling her myself.

"Edward!" she squealed.

An hour later, after Bella put an abrupt end to our tickle-fest by threatening not to make breakfast, we were sitting comfortably in my Volvo, speeding down the road towards Forks. She had told me before about how her father had left her mother when he found out she was pregnant with Elza. I didn't try to coax details out of her when I saw the pained expression on her face.

With the help of Bella's directions, we soon pulled up to a quaint little house shaded by towering trees. Everything was so green here, but the fire truck red house stood out perfectly. I opened the door and looked over the top of my Volvo at the house. I was reminded of when I first took a glance at Bluebell cottage, contemplating the fact that it would be my new home soon. Smiling, I closed the door and hurried over to the passenger side to open the door for Bella.

She stood, slinging her little red purse over her shoulder, and peered up at the red residence before her. Sighing, she grabbed my hand without taking her eyes off of the house, and pulled me forward. As we reached the door, I held a hand up to knock on the door, but before I could, it swung open and a blur of a person ran into Bella's arms.

"Bella!"

"Hi, Mom."

The two women pulled back to get a good look at each other and I started laughing. They looked at me with identical faces full of confusion.

"What's so funny?" Bella asked.

"Bella, you never told me you had a twin sister," I explained in mock surprise. They both blushed a similar shade of pink; Bella's was far more prominent on her cheeks, though. Smiling crookedly, I turned to Bella's mother, proceeding to introduce myself. "Edward Cullen."

"Renee Dwyer," she replied, taking my outstretched hand. Instead of the usual handshake, I pulled her hand up to my face and placed a light peck upon it. Bella giggled quietly while Renee just gaped in shock.

"So you give the rest of my family gentlemanly welcomes, but all I get is helping you pick up your CDs?" Bella teased.

"You were the one that ran into me, love," I retorted, rolling my eyes.

"Can we put this argument on hiatus while you two come inside?" Renee asked, with a smirk playing on her lips just as Bella was about to make a comeback.

"Of course," Bella and I answered simultaneously, as I grabbed her hand again and she rolled her eyes.

I soon found out that Bella wasn't kidding when she told me that Renee was a handful. Not a moment after her daughter and herself had caught up with each other did she grab us both and drag us to her car to show me around the few blocks of town. An hour or two later, fatigued from Renee's constant lively chatter, I suggested we sit down at a café for lunch, which is exactly what we did.

After a long argument between the three of us, we finally decided what we were ordering. Of course, like all food serving venues, it took forever for our food to be made. Throughout the long wait, Renee silently observed Bella and I as we stole sips of each other's drinks, endlessly teased and argued with each other, and other nonsense. I could tell she particularly enjoyed watching when Bella glared at the waitress who was shamelessly flirting with me – which I didn't even notice – and when Bella challenged me to plait her hair, because she doubted I even knew how to braid. But she was surprised when I did, to which I responded that growing up with Alice forced me to learn certain things. At long last, our order was served, carried out by the flirtatious waitress.

"A chef's salad and shrimp," the waitress, Kim, said as she handed Renee her food. "Mozzarella sticks and ham and Swiss sandwich," Kim checked off, glaring at Bella, who had grabbed my hand very conspicuously on top of the table. "And an Italian hoagie and clam chowder for the fine gentleman." Wink. _Ew. _

We ate through our lunch, while Renee endlessly questioned us about our jobs, our friends, Elza, and pretty much my whole life story. At one point, I wondered where Bella's stepfather was when I remembered what she had said when I first met Andrew. But Bella voiced the question out loud, and Renee said that Phil had gone off to Seattle to look for work, as he was a retired minor league baseball player. Some time during her mother's constant stream of inquiries, Bella had eaten practically all of my soup while I munched on her mozzarella sticks. Our usual habit of switching food – which probably looked very intimate, especially when Bella fed me a bite of her sandwich out of her hand – definitely did not go unnoticed by Renee. I suddenly felt like a cell under a microscope. But by the end of lunch – after I had paid for everything, much to Bella's dislike – Renee had begun to feel like a second mother to me.

I never thought that had been her intention all along.

We were back at the house and the smell of Bella making dinner – spaghetti, garlic bread, and mashed potatoes – wafted into my nose, making me smile. She was still mad at me for paying for lunch, so she shooed both Renee and I out of the kitchen, grunting at our offers of help. I did manage to at least set the table when she wasn't looking, and Renee had taken a phone call. When the cook turned around to find me with silverware in my hands, I just smiled at her innocently. She stuck her tongue out in reply.

Half an hour later, we sat down to dinner, and Renee resumed her never-ending talk, telling us about her own adventures when she was our age and younger. Bella knew the stories just as well as her mother did from countless retellings, so she filled in the rest of the tale when Renee was too overcome by giggles to go on. We were all in the process of twirling noodles around our forks when Renee continued with her questions.

"So," Renee began, "Tell me how you two met."

"Well," we said in unison, smiling and looking at each other. "She ran into me," I replied, just as Bella answered, "He tripped me." Renee laughed and Bella resigned to let me tell the story.

"There I was, minding my own business," I started, "Just walking up the two flights of stairs with my very last trunk of luggage when my phone rang. Of course, it was my insane sister, going on and on about some stupid coat rack she found for my apartment –"

"I was just going out to meet Elza for lunch," Bella interrupted, "Locked the door and turned around and ran into a _very hard brick wall._"

"Which you knocked down, thank you very much," I shot back at her.

"Brick walls aren't supposed to fall down," she replied.

"Unless they're hit with a tornado, like that one obviously was."

"Anyways," Bella said loudly, "His trunk knocked open and out flew all of his CD cases – thank God it was only the one trunk, he has enough to fill two – so, being the lady I am, I helped him pick them up –"

"And I was so struck by the clumsy beauty –" Bella scoffed. "– that I couldn't do anything but blink and stutter. But I eventually introduced myself and so did she, but then my dear sister interrupted us and pretty much attacked Bella –"

"Thank God she put the moose pole down before hand."

"So –"

"Blah, blah, blah, and here we are," Bella concluded.

An awkward silence filled the air while it seemed to me that Renee was contemplating about something. Finally, she set her fork down and rested her elbows on the table, her entwined hands holding her chin up. She had a kind of glimmer in her eyes as she looked back and forth between Bella and I, a large grin forming around her mouth. She bit her lip as if to hold in what she was about to say, but that didn't help. Seconds later, the words I had never expected to hear burst from her lips.

"Sooooooo," she said with a gradual crescendo, "When's the wedding?"

.:o0o:.

**AN: **Umm, cliffhanger? I dunno. Not really. Not to me, at least. But that's because I know what happens next, ha ha ha. Anyways, if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please let me know! Thanks!

See yuh,

Laura.


	15. Chapter 13: Falling Down

AN:

**AN:** Soo, here's the chapter. I have nothing else to say.

**Mini-Recap: **_An awkward silence filled the air while it seemed to me that Renee was contemplating about something. Finally, she set her fork down and rested her elbows on the table, her entwined hands holding her chin up. She had a kind of glimmer in her eyes as she looked back and forth between Bella and I, a large grin forming around her mouth. She bit her lip as if to hold in what she was about to say, but that didn't help. Seconds later, the words I had never expected to hear burst from her lips._

_"Sooooooo," she said with a gradual crescendo, "When's the wedding?"_

**Summary: **AU. All human. Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 13 – Falling Down**

**Edward**

The water I had just been sipping spewed out of my mouth as soon as my brain registered what she had said. _Wedding!? What kind of sick joke is that?_

Looking over at my supposed fiancée – according to Renee, that is – she hadn't moved an inch, save for her jaw about hitting the floor and her eyes bulging out of her skull. I was about to laugh at her shocked expression, despite the situation, but as soon as I took a breath, Bella slumped sideways in her chair, eyes fluttering shut. _Great. Now she's fainted._

"Bella?" Renee and I both said in the same frantic tone. Being closer to me, I reached out and took Bella in my arms, carrying her – ironically enough – bridal style to the couch. As soon as she was lying beside me as I kneeled down at the end of the couch where her head was resting, I thought again about what Renee said. A wedding. _Our_ wedding. I knew that Bella had warned me on the way over that Renee was unusually perceptive. Was I really that obvious? Did Renee really see how much I cared for Bella, more than just a best friend should?

"I'm sorry," Renee said quietly from beside me. "I didn't mean to be quite so blunt."

"It's fine," I answered. "It just caught both of us off guard."

A long bout of silence followed, punctured only by our breathing.

"Um," Renee finally spoke. "So, um, not to be nosy or anything, but . . . well, when is the wedding?"

"There is no wedding," I replied, staring at Bella, somehow wishing I could answer the question in a positive.

"Oh," Renee said absentmindedly. Another pause. She seemed embarrassed, but then meekly added, "Are you going to propose to her?"

"Renee," I told her gently, not taking my eyes off of the girl lying on the couch, "We're best friends. Nothing more." I wondered vaguely if she could sense the sad note in my voice.

"B-b-but," she said, bewildered, "But you two! You're both so protective of each other! And the way you look at each other and talk to each other and constantly touch each other, there's just no other explanation."

"I'm sorry," I said, not knowing what else to say. I brushed a bit of Bella's hair back into place, tenderly touching her skin. She shouldn't be out too much longer. My lopsided smile took its place as I gazed down at the angel.

"You love her," Renee whispered, so quietly that I could barely hear her. It wasn't a question; it was a simple statement. But was it true? I asked myself. Tracing the contours of Bella's nose with my fingertip, I realized that it was what I knew all along. Since the very moment we met, I could feel it. Feel it in every glance, every smile, every touch. The electricity that left my entire body paralyzed each time we had physical contact just couldn't be ignored anymore. The truth of Renee's words hit me with an impact that I didn't think possible. The sudden epiphany made me want to climb the Empire State building and scream to the world that I loved Isabella Marie Swan. The jolt of emotion running through my veins, sprouting from the little bit of skin that touched hers, coursed through me, giving me an energy and vibe that I had never felt before. My aching heart beat loudly under my skin and I was surprised it didn't burst out of my chest and fall straight into Bella's hands, where it so rightfully belonged.

"Yes," I murmured softly, "That I do."

.:o0o:.

Bella awoke minutes later, giving me a heart-wrenching smile that sent my breathing into overdrive; compliments of the conclusion Renee's words brought me to. How I wanted to tell her what I had just realized. But I knew I couldn't. I knew so well that she didn't feel the same way about me. How could she? I was just plain old me. Her best friend that was always there for her. And would always be there for her.

After Bella had repeatedly told Renee that there was nothing between us – to which Renee would shoot glances at me every time it was mentioned – and that there was definitely no wedding. Renee just apologized again and again, saying sorry about how she shouldn't have just jumped to conclusions. She didn't tell Bella what she had told me before, and for that I was grateful. I could only hope she didn't share the last part of the conversation with her daughter.

Twilight had just fallen when Bella suggested we started heading home. And by then I couldn't take it anymore. Every time she so much as said my name, a vivid joy and a vibrant sadness took over me. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, the skin stretching across my knuckles burning white. I couldn't take my eyes off the road, yet I couldn't keep them from straying to Bella every few seconds.

"Edward?" Bella asked tentatively. Shiver. Flinch. "Edward, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine, Bella," I replied. And it was the truth. Relatively speaking, I _was_ fine. If just figuring out that you had fallen in love with your best friend fell into that category.

"No, you're not," she said, her eyes burning into my face. Yet I refused to turn my gaze to her. And it was not just because of the fact that she would yell at me for taking my eyes off the road, either.

"I'm _fine_," I repeated firmly. Her hand reached out, as if to touch my face, but it stopped aloft in mid-air, as if she was rethinking the common gesture. It dropped back down to her lap and she stared out the window instead.

"It's about what Renee said, isn't it?"

I sighed. Yes, it was. But what do I tell her? _Oh, yeah, Bella. I forgot to tell you that your mom helped me realize that I'm in love with you when you passed out. No big deal._ Ugh.

Nothing else was said after that and the silence continued as we got back to the apartment – I refused to call it _our_ apartment now – and lingered in the air in the morning. I didn't hear another word from her even when I got home from work two days later. I didn't know why she was avoiding me – like she so obviously was – but I didn't feel like trying to break the silence.

We didn't tell anyone about what happened. Alice tried to pry everything out of us, but in the end she just huffed out of the apartment, yelling about 'stupid lovebirds'. My nose wrinkled in anguish. I actually wished I could talk to Alice about this. She was the one who gave me advice when I had no clue what to do. But she wouldn't talk to me. It seemed like everyone was mute these days, as if someone had died.

It was three days since the visit to Renee. Three days since I realized that I love Bella. Three days of silence. Three days of quiet agony. Three days without hearing Bella's beautiful voice or laughter. But it was this third day that the silence was broken.

"Hand me the salt and pepper, would you, Edward?"

Just the simple question during dinner one night put everything back in its place. Like nothing ever happened. Except for the combination of happiness and loneliness that coursed through me every time Bella was nearby.

That night, I was lying in bed with Bella cuddled up next to me, my arms curved around her protectively. It somehow felt wrong to me, knowing that I held her in an embrace different than the one she thought she was in. I held my own heart next to me while she was snuggled against the only person she could truly be at ease with. I closed my eyes, far from tired, and inhaled the smell of her damp hair, fresh from the shower. Trying desperately to clear my mind, I fell asleep hours later, still thinking of Bella, which soon turned into sweet dreams.

.:o0o:.

I knew the squealing was inevitable, but I had to tell her. I just couldn't keep it inside any longer.

"Well, come on, Edward, just spit it out," Alice urged. I fiddled with my fingers, trying to think of a way to begin. Nibbling the inside of my lip, I decided to just get it out.

"I love her," I whispered, glancing up at a stunned Alice for a second before diverting my eyes back to my fidgeting hands – I must have picked up the habit from Bella. It felt so good to actually say it out loud, rather than repeating it in my head like I'd been doing for the past eighty-some hours.

And then the squeals came.

"Oh. My. God!" my sister screamed. She immediately jumped up from the zebra-print couch and ran over to me, launching into the couch pillow beside me. She wrapped her tiny little arms around me, squeezing with all her might. "I'm so happy for you!" A few minutes of squealing again, she asked the one question I knew she would. "So, did you tell her?"

"No," I replied, looking down again. _Since when was my second toe longer than my big toe?_

"Why not?" she yelled, perplexed. Alice backed up from the embrace, sitting on her knees. Her eyes were outraged, as if not telling Bella how I felt was a federal crime.

"I'm her best friend," I said softly, trying to explain. "She doesn't feel the same way." A blow to the back of my head had me yelping in pain. "Ouch! Alice, what was that for?"

"Because she does feel the same way, you idiot!" she shouted exasperatedly. Then, she added, a little quieter, "She's just in denial."

I snorted. Sure, that explains it. "Alice," I said pleadingly, "What do I do?"

"First," she beamed, "You tell her."

I groaned. "No," I told her. "That I will not do. I do not want to ruin our relationship."

"Oh, it won't," she responded. Standing up, still bubbling with excitement, she picked up her discarded designer purse and walked to the door. I stood up behind her, ready to protest.

"But –"

"Tell her." Those were the last words she spoke to me and with that, she walked out the door. My shoulders slumped. I knew Alice always knew the right thing to do, if you wanted things to turn out well. But I just – I couldn't.

I fell backwards onto the couch we were sitting on, and Moose jumped up on top of me. Rubbing his favorite spot behind his ears, he started purring loudly. _What had I gotten myself into?_

A few mindless hours later, there was a soft knock at the door, and I looked up from the book I was reading to see Elza's head peeping through a small crack in the door. Smiling, I motioned for her to come in and she sat down in the egg chair, the closest piece of furniture beside me, save for the couch. I really liked Elza. She was the comforting sister that didn't pry too much, but still helped the most.

"Alice told you?" I asked, smirking.

"No," she said quietly. "I just kind of surmised from the unusually loud squeaks emitting from your apartment."

I chuckled. "You guessed right, then."

A comfortable silence passed between us as I marked my spot in the book with a homemade bookmark – compliments of Bella, of course – and I set it down on the strange coffee table. I looked back up at her and furrowed my eyebrows, asking, "Where's Jacob?"

"He's, um," she fidgeted, "He had something to do with his father. Where's Bella?"

"She went grocery shopping," I replied, smiling. "She never lets me help. Has some stupid idea in her head that I'll somehow mess up everything she cooks if I help with shopping."

"Yeah, that does sound like Bella," Elza giggled. Moose sauntered over to her, obviously fonder of her than me. She scratched behind his ears, smiling down at him, and said, "It's taken you _this long_ to realize it?"

"Uh, yes," I replied, brushing my hand through my bronze locks.

She giggled again. "About time."

"I guess so."

"Bella's more stubborn than you, though," she continued, talking to herself more than me. "She'll come around one day. Sooner or later."

"I doubt that," I grumbled.

"She loves you," she replied, looking me straight in the eye, her own filled with honesty. "She just doesn't realize that what she's feeling isn't the effect of being your best friend. I don't think she really understands what love is, because she's never felt the way she does right now before. Edward, trust me, please. I know what I'm seeing when I see it. And I know Alice told you this, but please. Tell her. Before it's too late." And with that she stood up to leave, having said what she came here to say.

"Thanks, Elza," I said quietly.

"Anytime," she replied as the door closed behind her, taking the small amount of hope she had just given me with her. Hoping was no good when you knew you would be let down anyways.

.:o0o:.

**AN: **Awwwww, looks like wittle Eddy-Teddy-Kins is in wuuuuuuuuuuuv. I don't like the end of this chapter, but I know you guys were begging to see their reactions, so I decided to give it to you guys now. Hope you liked it! I know I did.

Fanks,

Laura.


	16. Chapter 14: Chase

AN:

**AN:** Okay, I seriously apologize for not getting this out sooner. I've been desperately trying to pack my summer social life into the last week of summer, seeing as school starts tomorrow. Which means that updates won't be as frequent and I will have no idea when I will get them out. But fear not! I know exactly where the rest of the chapters are going (I already have the last two chapters written). Anyways, did anyone spot the miniscule change in the summary?

**Mini-Recap:**___"She loves you," she replied, looking me straight in the eye, her own filled with honesty. "She just doesn't realize that what she's feeling isn't the effect of being your best friend. I don't think she really understands what love is, because she's never felt the way she does right now before. Edward, trust me, please. I know what I'm seeing when I see it. And I know Alice told you this, but please. Tell her. Before it's too late." And with that she stood up to leave, having said what she came here to say._

"_Thanks, Elza," I said quietly._

"_Anytime," she replied as the door closed behind her, taking the small amount of hope she had just given me with her. Hoping was no good when you knew you would be let down anyways._

**Summary: **AU. All human? Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 14 – Chase**

**Edward**

Knock, knock, knock.

My hand dropped back to my side and the 3A that adorned the door stared back at me for but a second before the door was pulled open. For a moment, I couldn't figure out who it was that had opened the door, but seconds later, it dawned on me.

"Hi there, Vin Deisel," I said through my laughter. There Andrew stood, in all his bald-headed glory, glaring at me. We had become semi-friends since the whole fight-fiasco thing, and he even hung out with me sometimes when Bella wasn't around. Not like that was very often, because there was barely a moment when I wasn't by Bella's side.

"Hey, Edward," a voice said from behind the bald man in front of me. Elza peeked out from behind Andrew, smiling. She reached up, rubbed his head – without the opportunity to ruffle his hair, what else could she do? – and winked at me, giggling. As both of us stifled laughter, Andrew growled and walked out of the apartment, stomping down the stairs.

"So, what's up?" Elza asked, after a small giggle-fit.

"Well . . ." I started, trailing off, unsure how to put it.

"Elza? Who is it?" I frowned at the deep husky voice that was very unfamiliar to me, even though I had a hunch of who it belonged to.

"It's just Edward, Jake!" Elza called back over her shoulder. She turned around, smiling at me, and stepped aside to let me in the apartment.

"Um," I began again, scratching the back of my neck in nervousness. "Alice kinda threw a fit and took a garbage can to Bella's old clothes, so I figured I should probably grab some sweats for Bella, because I doubt she'll wear the, uh . . . _lingerie_ Alice bought her."

Elza giggled again, a knowing and mischievous look entering her eyes, and told me to take whatever I needed out of Bella's dresser. As I quickly made my way to her room, I caught a glimpse of a very large man sprawled across the living room couch on my way. So that was Jacob Black. Minutes later, with a large armful of clothes, I stood in the living room, attempting to smile at a man who had hurt my Bella.

"Jake, Edward," Elza introduced, gesturing between us, "Edward, Jacob."

Jacob smiled at me, holding out his hand. "Nice to finally meet you. Bella's been rambling on and on about you every time she comes over."

"Good to meet you, too," I smiled, shaking his hand – which felt like he had stuck it in a burning fire – and dropping the bundle of clothes with the greeting. Jacob was so tall, that I – even at six two – had to bend my head back and look up just to see his face. Poor Elza, she was only five one. His black hair was cropped short and slicked back, revealing his warm coal black eyes. His skin was a deep russet and I could tell that he was of Indian heritage.

We all fell into easy conversation, and I suddenly lost interest of punching the guy. He was actually really nice and I could tell he loved Elza with all his heart. The way he looked at her reminded me of how I saw Bella, like the planets revolved around her instead of the glittering sun. I couldn't even find it in my heart to go super-protective-older-brother on him. Even though he did it to me.

"So, Edward," he began, a twinkle in his eye as Elza nudged him playfully, "Rumor has it that your in love with Bells."

My cheeks flooded with color, but I beamed. "So I've heard," I replied.

"Well, don't give up," he said, the millionth person to give me the exact same advice. "She'll come around. I know the position. Been there, done that. Trust me, though. She doesn't think of you as only a best friend."

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Sure, sure." Jacob laughed, obviously picking up the response. Bella told me she had picked it up from him and in turn, I had picked it up from her.

"Just wait," he said. "Just you wait."

.:o0o:.

My hand was poised over the knob, hesitating to open the door. I really did not want to know what was going on in our apartment. But there was only one reason why high-pitched squeals would be erupting from the house. Alice was here.

Scrunching up my nose at the fresh yelps of joy, I gritted my teeth and turned the handle, pushing open the door to find Alice and Bella on the couch with a large bowl of what I could only assume was brownie mix between the two of them. Ignoring my sister, I smiled crookedly at the beautiful creature whose eyes had lit up when I walked through the door. Alice giggled, dipping her finger in the bowl again and popping her chocolate-dripping finger in her mouth to stifle the laughter.

"Having girl time without me, now?" I mocked, frowning. Hurriedly, I dropped my horde of Bella's clothes behind the lips loveseat so Alice couldn't dispose of them, too. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella smiling gratefully, thanking me with her eyes. My grin widened.

"No boys allowed, Edward," Alice whined.

"Can't you just make one exception?" I pleaded.

"No!" they yelled at the same time and then burst out in identical laughter seconds later.

"But it's _my_ apartment," I pouted.

"Mine, too," Bella retorted.

I grinned again. "Can't argue with that."

Throwing my keys on the alien side table, I walked past the chuckling girls, making eye contact with Bella for a brief moment, and into the kitchen. I fumbled around in the cupboards for a while before deciding on making a grilled cheese. I lit up the gas stove and dropped butter in the pan as I tried to block out the whispers, giggles, and squeaks coming from the other room.

Fifteen minutes later, after burning five pieces of bread, I ended up with only a semi-grilled cheese, seeing as I didn't want to risk burning any more of the half-gone loaf. The slam of the apartment door made me jump slightly as two arms found their way around my neck.

"Burn the bread again, Mr. C?" a soft voice whispered I my ear as even softer lips grazed my earlobe. The hands now traveled down my chest, hugging me tighter, and I was frozen in my seat.

Seconds – or it could have been minutes – later, Bella was sitting in front of me with the bowl of brownie batter, smirking at my bulged out eyes. _That woman must be out to kill me._

I stared back into her eyes, swirling coffee-colored. There was something different about them, I noted. Kind of like she was keeping a secret hidden from me. It was taunting me, dancing and singing out, 'Na-na na na-na!', teasing me. The spark of the unknown made me curious.

Still frozen, the almost-gone sandwich just inches from my lips, I blinked a few times to try and clear my head. Bella took advantage of my trance to steal my grilled cheese and finish it off. I still just stared at her.

"Mmm," she said, "That was actually good."

I frowned, finding my voice. "Do you usually not like my cooking?"

"I said no such thing," she defended, mockingly.

"So, what was Alice here for?" I asked, changing the subject. This was the second time in two days that the pixie was here squealing very loudly.

She blushed. "Just some girl time."

I raised my eyebrow skeptically. Bella despised girl time. She was a horrible liar. "Oh, really?" I challenged. "So what's the latest Cullen gossip?" _Besides the fact that I'm in love with you._

Her blush deepened. "Nothing really."

"Oh?"

"Wanna finish this brownie mix?" she asked as she dipped her finger into the bowl, changing the subject.

I smiled evilly at her, narrowing my eyes. Slowly, teasing her, I dipped my finger into the mix, feeling the smooth texture of chocolate clinging to my finger. Gradually, I lifted it out of the bowl and smirked again.

"I think you have something on your face, m'dear," I told her mischievously.

"What's that?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Quickly, instead of popping my finger in my mouth to lick off the batter, I slid my finger down her face, from her temple to her chin, leaving a trail of chocolate. "Just a bit of chocolate brownie mix," I answered with an uneven smile.

She gritted her teeth. "This. Means. War."

And with that, she dug her whole hand into the bowl and flung mix at my face, where it stuck to my skin. I had closed my eyes just in time, and now as I opened them, I could see the flecks of chocolate stuck in my eyelashes and on the tip of my nose. Taking advantage of a distracted giggling Bella, I plunged my own hand into the bowl and threw some more batter at her.

Her shocked face soon turned into one of battle and as she grabbed the bowl, I took off running.

Half an hour later, we were sitting back down in our original seats, both out of breath and completely covered in chocolate. Still chuckling, I ran a splattered-coated finger down her cheek and brought it to my mouth, licking off the mix. Bella sniggered again and did the same to my face, her tongue licking up from the bottom of her palm to the top of her fingertips.

I sighed. "Shower time?"

"That's probably a good idea," she said absentmindedly, staring at her hand and trying to pick the chocolate out from under her fingernails.

"You go first," I offered, examining my stained clothes, brushing off some dried chocolate.

She giggled again, blushing. "I have a better idea."

"What's that, love?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She picked up the glass of water on the counter in front of her, raising it to her lips. She blinked once, a smile growing on her face and suddenly I felt something very wet and cold splash across my face. "Neither of us surrendered, Mr. C."

Growling, I chased her out of the apartment, down two flights of stairs, and into the back yard. I always knew sprinklers actually had a purpose.

.:o0o:.

Toweling my hair dry, I followed my nose into the kitchen where Bella was putting together dinner. My nose told me it was some kind of chicken. Bella told me it was egg tortillas. She also suggested I got my nose checked out by a doctor.

"Go get a shirt on," Bella argued, stirring the eggs in a pan while also trying to get the bacon out of another pan.

"Do you not like my bare chest?" I teased, throwing the towel on a nearby stool.

"It's too hairless," she replied, smirking.

I sighed, shaking my head back and forth. "Guess I'll just have to grow more chest hair."

"Good idea. Now go get a shirt on."

"Yes, ma'am," I saluted. Picking up the towel, I walked back into my room, leaving the wet cloth in a hamper and picked up a t-shirt that I was pretty sure Bella was previously wearing. Inhaling, I picked up the flowery scent wafting from the fabric of the shirt. Yes, Bella was definitely wearing this before.

Minutes later, as I was taking the first bite of my egg and bacon tortilla, Bella eyeing my shirt with a grin, I suddenly felt a vibration from my pocket. Digging into my pajama pants, I pulled out my cell phone and flipped it open.

"Hello?" I asked cheerfully, as Bella mimed catapulting scrambled egg off her spoon at me.

"Edward? . . . I'm pregnant."

.:o0o:.

**AN: **Hoo, boy. Another cliffy, no? Anyways, we're really close to _one hundred_ reviews! Can you believe it? I can't. Thank you all sooooooooooo much!

Love to all readers!

Laura


	17. Chapter 15: Sweet Dreams

AN:

**AN:** Sorry it took so long for this chapter to get out. I was way busy with school. I have like five projects due already! Argh. I miss summer. Anyways, I really love this chapter. Hope you do, too!

**Mini-Recap:**_ Minutes later, as I was taking the first bite of my egg and bacon tortilla, Bella eyeing my shirt with a grin, I suddenly felt a vibration from my pocket. Digging into my pajama pants, I pulled out my cell phone and flipped it open._

_"Hello?" I asked cheerfully, as Bella mimed catapulting scrambled egg off her spoon at me._

_"Edward? . . . I'm pregnant."_

**Summary: **AU. All human? Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 15 – Sweet Dreams**

**Edward**

My jaw dropped open as I repeated the word that echoed in my head. "Pregnant?"

"Edward?" both Bella and the caller asked in the same concerned tone.

"Did you tell Emmett yet?" I asked, standing up and walking into the living room. A long pause followed, as I heard Bella calling to me. Ignoring that, I spoke again. "Rose?"

"N-not yet," she said nervously.

"Did you tell anyone else yet?" I questioned, my eyebrows knitting together.

"Just you," Rosalie whispered.

"Why?"

"Because, Edward," she said desperately. "You're his brother. I'm scared, Edward. I didn't know who else to talk to. Alice would squeal about the shower and Jasper would want to beat the crap out of Emmett."

"You're afraid Emmett won't want the baby?" I assumed.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered quietly.

"Rosalie, Rosalie, Rosalie," I muttered quietly, rolling my eyes patronizingly. "Shouldn't you know my brother by now?"

"I guess," said Rose.

"Then you should know that he would be the perfect father. I know for a fact that he would love a child," I soothed, "I grew up with him. I should know."

"I – I . . ."

"Edward?" Bella whispered from right behind me, putting a comforting hand on my arm.

"Let me talk to Bella," Rose instructed, without a stutter this time, cutting me off before I could reply.

"Congratulations, then," I concluded, sliding the phone into Bella's outstretched hand.

Half an hour later, I was picking away at my egg tortilla, still contemplating Rosalie's pregnancy, when Bella finally sat down again across from me. She slid the phone over the counter to me, and glanced down at her half-finished dinner to mine and then up to my face.

"Do you not like my cooking?" she asked in a fake hurt voice.

I smiled. "Yeah, you're cooking is positively _atrocious_," I responded sarcastically, taking a bite of the tortilla. She giggled.

"Aren't you happy for them?" she asked after a long pause.

"Yes, I am," I told her honestly. But in truth, what caused my vacant mood was my train of thoughts on the whole pregnant idea. I was trying to imagine Bella as a mother, holding a green-eyed, chocolate-haired baby in her arms, smiling down at our child . . .

She seemed to guess my thoughts. "I would love to have a baby," Bella mused, the secret in her eyes unable to cover the longing glint hidden in their depths.

Grinning, I replied, "You would be an amazing mother."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

She bit her lip, looking off into space. "What would he look like?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "Who?"

"My baby, silly," she replied grinning.

"Well, who's the father?" I asked, frowning.

"Hmm," she said, her face molding into a look of concentration. "How about . . . my present-sending secret admirer?"

I beamed as I stroked Moose, who had just jumped onto the counter, and gave him a nibble of my tortilla. "What does this secret admirer look like?" I asked Bella.

"I don't know," she sighed, "I've never seen him, obviously."

"Yes, you have," I chuckled quietly, "You see him everyday, love."

She frowned. "How do you know?"

"Well," I began, beaming, "Seeing as my memory serves me correctly, I do so believe that _I_ sent those . . ." I trailed off, looking up at her as Moose purred under my fingers.

"You . . ." she hissed, quickly recovering from her dropped jaw. She opened her mouth again to say something, but then changed her mind and closed it. She stared at me incredulously and emitted a small 'humph' as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're not mad, are you?" I asked, frowning.

"You know I don't like having money spent on me," she scolded. I was about to remind her that she didn't mind before, but then her grimace morphed into a large smile. She seemed lost in her drowning thoughts.

"What are you thinking about, Bella?"

"He would be so handsome," she said absentmindedly.

"Who?" I repeated.

"Our baby boy," she whispered. My answering smile matched hers, blindingly bright. The way she said those words sent a very welcome shiver down my spine. _Our_ baby boy . . .

A meowing Moose pulled us both out of our fantasies, probably alike in the context. We both laughed softly as Bella grabbed Moose and nuzzled him into her arms. She looked up at me, the shining secret covering up the undecided emotion in her eyes.

"So, what does he look like?" I asked her.

"Who?" she mimicked with a smirk.

"Our baby boy," I replied, smiling back at her.

"Well," she started, gazing into my eyes, "He would have these entrancing emerald green eyes."

"And luscious chocolate curls," I added, twirling a stray piece of her locks around my finger.

"Yes," she agreed, blushing. "With a perfectly straight nose."

"Blushing cheeks," I listed.

Her eyes narrowed. "Pink lips."

"Soft, pale skin."

"Strong muscles."

I wrinkled my nose as my phone rang again. "No cell phone," I muttered, picking the thing up as Bella laughed. "Hello?" I answered.

Squeals greeted my ears. "Put Bella on, Edward," Alice told me. "Now!"

"For you, my dear," I said, rolling my eyes as I held the phone out to a reluctant Bella.

"Hello?" she said tentatively, cringing as she waited for the impact. My sister squealed again, causing Bella to hold the phone at arm's length away from her ear. I chuckled quietly as Moose ran away, hissing.

That night, my dreams carried me to the future I longed for, filled with an angelic brown-eyed wife with brunette and bronze-haired children.

.:o0o:.

_I groaned as I glanced at the dash once again. Five oh eight. I was late. Again. Stupid traffic. My fingers tapped impatiently on the steering wheel as the light finally turned green and my foot stomped on the gas. I was always too eager to get home. And for a good reason._

_Six minutes and twenty-four seconds later, I arrived in heaven, striding quickly through a white-picket fence and barging through the front door of a blue-shuttered town house. Wafts of barbeque chicken and rice met my nostrils as I called out the common cliché through the foyer._

_"Honey, I'm home!"_

_"Daddy!"_

_A four-year-old miniature figure of my wife - though with bronze hair - flew into my arms, squeezing me tightly around my neck. I kissed the pale skin on her shoulder, swinging my daughter around playfully._

_"Jessabelle, don't hurt your father. You'll break his neck," a beautiful scolding voice called from the kitchen doorway. I turned to the source of the voice to find my personal miracle in a bulging dirty apron, wet towel in hand, and long chocolate hair up in a messy bun. Smiling crookedly, I shifted my youngest child to my left arm and walked over to my wife._

_"Bella," I whispered against her smiling lips after kissing her. Jess giggled. My free hand moved from the locks of chocolate to the delicate ring on Bella's left hand, twisting it around once. From there, my hand traveled to her round belly, feeling for our next baby. _

_"Hey, Dad!" A small hand pulled on my elbow. "Dad, guess what!"_

_"What, Junior?" I asked, tearing my gaze away from my wife and looking down at my oldest child. I set Jess down, who immediately followed her mother into the kitchen, where I could smell a fresh batch of cookie in the oven._

_"We got to finger paint today in art class, Dad! And guess what else?" Junior said excitedly, his eyes bulging out of his head as he followed me into the den, sitting down next to me._

_"What, son?"_

_"I put paint all over Kara's face!" he exclaimed as a copper-haired, green-eyed cat jumped into his arms. _Moose.

_I chuckled. "Kara . . . your girlfriend?"_

_He blushed, his green eyes darting away from me. "No," he said quietly. I ruffled his curly brown hair, smiling._

_"Junie! Daddy!," Jess called. "Momma says it's time for supper."_

_Minutes later, as I sat at the head of the dining room table which was weighed down with dishes and pots of steaming food, I gazed around at my family. My six-year-old son was arguing with Jess about who could make the best cookies, Mom or Nanna Esme. _

_Pulling my eyes to look to the immediate right of me, I met Bella's gaze and her smiling face. One hand was on her seven months pregnant stomach and the other was winding its way into my right hand. She squeezed my fingers, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. My grin grew larger._

_"I love you, Mrs. Cullen," I whispered against the soft skin of her hand, my nose grazing my grandmother's wedding ring on her finger._

_This was home. This was heaven._

.:o0o:.

"'Morning, Mr. C," a cheery voice sung in my ear.

My eyes fluttered open, revealing a cleaner, younger, and definitely thinner Bella than in my dreams. She was leaning over me, with the same content smile on her face, as if it had never vanished from behind my eyelids.

Stretching, I yawned loudly, sneakily pulling Bella into my arms as I extended them over my head. She laughed loudly, snuggling into my side, her arms wrapping around me.

"'Mornin'," I stifled through another yawn. Inhaling deeply, I reveled in the warmth her body gave off. And then, I laughed. "Since when do I wake up to the smell of my favorite cookies?"

"I dunno," she said mischievously. "Must be a special occasion."

I narrowed my eyes down at her. "What's the date?"

"Oh, something like June . . . twentieth, I think," she smirked.

"So you made me cream-puff cookies?" I asked. "Whatever happened to breakfast in bed?"

"I can bring you the cookies in bed if you want," she smiled, wriggling out of my arms. "They're cooling down right now."

Before I could protest, she pushed me back down from my attempts to get up and glared at me, telling me to stay. Seconds later, she walked back in, tray in her hands and apron around her waist. I smiled, resting my hands behind my head.

"Open up," she said quietly, sitting down beside me, the tray of cookies on her lap.

Obeying, I opened my mouth as she popped a small puff into my mouth. I closed my eyes as I relished the soft cake-like cookie. Bella definitely makes better cookies than my mom.

"Happy birthday, Edward," she whispered, smiling at me.

_This was heaven enough for now._

.:o0o:.

**AN: **Sooooo, this might be over soon. Maybe a chapter or two more. But fear not, the sequel is in the works! The next chapter might take about a week to get out, but if I'm stopping at two chapters, then the one after that will be out even sooner after the next! If that makes sense . . . Anyways, I was surprised that a lot – okay, maybe just a few, but still – thought that it was Elza that was pregnant. And some of you thought it was Bella! She was sitting right next to him, clearly not on the phone with him. But, I think that was my fault. I should have made that clearer. Oh, and cream-puff cookies, by the way, are super delicious. They're pretty much just white cake mix and cream cheese. I know that sounds kina gross, but they are like . . . I dunno, heaven? Yes. Okay, enough of my endless ranting.

Thanks!

Laura


	18. Chapter 16: Birthday Boy

AN:

**AN:** Bella chapter. That's all I gotta say. 'Cept that I don't really like it.

**Mini-Recap:**_"Open up," she said quietly, sitting down beside me, the tray of cookies on her lap._

_Obeying, I opened my mouth as she popped a small puff into my mouth. I closed my eyes as I relished the soft cake-like cookie. Bella definitely makes better cookies than my mom._

_"Happy birthday, Edward," she whispered, smiling at me._

This was heaven enough for now.

**Summary: **AU. All human? Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 16 – Birthday Boy**

**Bella**

I can't actually recall the exact moment I fell in love with him, when we turned our friendship into something more. It might have been the initial moment we set eyes on each other, after I knocked him down. It might have been the few seconds in which he kissed me while we were drunk out of our minds, or possibly one of the nights I lay beside him as he stroked my hair. But I did know one thing.

I was in love with Edward.

Even thinking the simple fact – let alone just his name – made my heart flutter in my chest as I lifted my trembling fingers to his mouth as he smiled crookedly down at me. My head felt feather-light as the soft skin of his lips closed around the small cookie I held between my pointer and my thumb, caressing the flesh of my fingertips. The electricity in my veins had enough power to light up the world, to outshine the sun.

"Mmm," he sighed, gently closing his eyes, making me shiver with desire.

"So," I said, trying to distract myself, "What do you want for your birthday?"

He pulled his eyes open. "You don't need to get me anything. The cookies are the best present I could ask for."

"Oh, really?" I asked skeptically. I thought about what he said for a second. "So if you could have anything in the world, you'd just want my cookies?"

"Yep," he replied, popping the 'p', and smiling again.

I put my hand over my heart drastically. "And all this time you were just using me for my culinary skills. I thought we were friends, Edward," I spouted in a mocking pained voice. It surprised me how well I managed to apply the term 'friends' to our relationship.

Chuckling, he pulled me to his side, making sure the platter of cream puffs didn't fall off the bed. Squeezing me tight with both arms, he said, "Dang it. You figured me out."

"I'm hurt, Mr. C," I said in the same tone through my shaking voice as he kissed my forehead, the corners of his lips turned upward.

"Do you want me to kiss it and make it all better?" he asked against my skin, sending another shiver through my body.

"Sure, Mom," I whispered sarcastically as Edward pressed his lips to the top of my head again and again.

We were hanging by a single thread, poised over boiling lava; one wrong move and we would both fall. I knew that he cared for me in the same way I did now from the moment we met, the emotion just growing stronger with all the time we spent together. He thought I only wanted to be best friends, but in truth, I never did. I wanted to be his. I still wanted to be his. But we were both too afraid to make any kind of move; we didn't want to lose each other.

_Soon,_ my heart and my head both told me. _Soon._

.:o0o:.

"What are you thinking?"

I looked over at Edward, who was looking at me, despite driving ten over the speed limit as we drove to the restaurant the family was meeting at. The common question he asked me on an hourly basis threw me off guard. And for the very first time, I lied to him.

"I'm trying to figure out where we're going," I replied, looking away. Even though it was _his_ birthday, _I_ was the one being surprised. I guess that's what I get for being in love with him.

He didn't seem to believe me, but didn't question me any further for which I was grateful. In truth, I was embarrassed by the thoughts of him that were running through my head, seeing as they weren't very best friend appropriate. So I blocked them out.

"Are Rose and Emmett going to tell your parents?" I asked, training my gaze away from his constant stare.

"I think so," he murmured.

I smirked. "Uncle Eddie."

He snorted, rolling his eyes. "Only if you're going to be Aunt Izzy," he replied.

"With pleasure, hubby."

Ten minutes later, we pulled up to a small restaurant on the outskirts of Seattle, a quaint little place that Edward had once taken me to because I was grumbling about not having anything in the apartment to eat. I was mad at him for the rest of the day.

"After you, love," he whispered, holding open the door to the restaurant. Giving the hostess the name 'Cullen', she led us to a large table out of the way in the back.

"Bella!"

An over-excited Alice flew into my arms, enveloping me in a miniature Emmett bear hug. I squeezed her back, though gently, saying, "Geez, Al, it's not even _my_ birthday."

"I haven't seen you in _so_ long!" she squealed, hugging me tighter.

"I live in your brother's apartment. You were over two days ago!" I exclaimed exasperatedly. It was true, when I first figured out that I was feeling more than friendship for her brother, she came right over with a batch of brownies in her hands – not baked, of course.

She shot me a meaningful glance, flickering over to Edward then back to me once, and reclaimed her seat next to Jasper after briefly hugging her brother.

"Happy birthday, son," Esme smiled as she pulled Edward into a hug. She beamed at me over his shoulder, biting her tongue between her teeth. I knew that Alice had told her about my feelings, and I really didn't mind. I blushed as Edward squeezed my hand again, never letting it go yet.

I glanced around as Edward's father, Carlisle, came forward. Emmett and Rosalie were sitting with their heads together, whispering quietly, as Rose noticed my gaze and smiled brightly at me, Emmett standing up. Alice and Jasper were talking lightly with Jake, who held Elza's hand, as my sister stayed quiet. Esme sat down by Rose and quickly started up a conversation with her, Carlisle sitting next to his wife.

"Wow, Edward," Emmett boomed, clapping his brother on the back. "The big two five already. _And still a virgin_," he added, whispering the last part to me as I giggled. Edward's cheeks flushed, a red to rival mine, and he punched his sibling in the arm. Hard.

"I know who could fix that, though," Em grumbled quietly, rubbing his arm and looking expectantly at me. My face burned and suddenly, everyone was laughing at us.

"Guys," Rose said an hour later, after the staff sang to an embarrassed Edward. "We," she gestured between her and Emmett, "have some important news." They looked at each other smiling, as a similar grin flitted between those in the know.

"We're having a baby!" Emmett screamed, at the same time Rosalie shouted, "We're getting married!"

It would have been funny if we weren't all shocked. Alice was the first to speak. Surprise, surprise.

"Let me do your wedding, Rose," she pleaded with wide eyes.

"Pregnant?" Esme questioned with her mouth still hanging open. I didn't even have time to wonder how she managed that.

And then I started laughing, Edward joining in, resting his forehead on my shoulder. I shivered again, my laughter almost a stutter, as his nose grazed my bare skin.

The next thing I knew, we were in the Volvo – Alice and Jasper decided to hitch a ride with us instead of with the husband and bride-to-be – and headed towards a bar. Ugh. And Alice was babbling back and forth about what I should change in to when we arrived at the club and her formulating plans for Rose's wedding.

As promised, upon arriving, Alice and Rose pushed me into the bathroom, planning on a full makeover, which, of course, took about half an hour. Twice, Edward had knocked on the door to make sure I was still alive. But I doubted I was.

When I emerged, Edward pulled me into his arms and took me away. _After_ ogling at me for an entire minute, though. Downing a drink, I wished him a final _sober _happy birthday.

.:o0o:.

The warmth and light of what I could only guess was the sun blinded me as I opened my eyes the next morning. Yawning groggily, a sharp pain pulled at my head. I was never good at hangovers.

Only when my eyes had fully adjusted to the vibrant brightness did I realize that I was alone in Edward's bedroom, wearing only one of his overlarge button ups. I blushed as I pinpointed the underwear I had been wearing last night on the floor. I must have _really_ been out of my mind. Walking into the kitchen, void of any signs of breakfast, I found some painkillers, a glass of ice water, and a note from Edward on the counter.

_Bella, love,_

_Had an early piano lesson, so I'm sorry I won't be here to help you in the morning. I would've made some breakfast, but I was in a rush. Sorry._

_See you later,_

_Edward_

The corners of my lips turned up slightly as I gobbled down the pills and water. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to remember my last coherent thought from last night. After the horrendous makeover – I didn't look horrendous, I just hated the makeover part – I drew up a blank. I really didn't think it mattered. Alice or Elza would tell me if I did anything exceptionally stupid.

Just as I was pulling ingredients for pancakes out of the pantry, planning on making a mountain of them in case Edward was hungry when he got home, my cell phone started to ring. "Hello?" I answered.

"Oh, good morning, Bella," a sweet voice answered. It took me a moment to realize who it was.

"Oh, hi, Esme," I said, continuing with my quest of rummaging for chocolate chips. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," she replied with a voice full of concern. "Edward was in the middle of a lesson when I called and no one would answer last night."

"Oh, we're fine," I answered, placing a bag of chocolate chips in my mouth as I balanced the pancake mix and bowl in my free hand. "I mean, aside from the whole hangover thing."

"Yeah, I figured," she sighed. "I'm just too worried about everything, what with Emmett becoming a husband _and_ a father."

"Not ready to be a grandmother?" I guessed.

"No, no, no," she exclaimed, "Of course not! I would love to have some grandchildren. I've been begging my children for some ever since they hit twenty years old. I just have this bad feeling, I guess."

"Ah," I said, not really paying attention. "I know what you mean."

There was silence for a few minutes as I pried Moose off of the couch to feed him and then she suddenly broke the quiet.

"You know, Bella, I really do think of you as a daughter already. Just as much as Rosalie and Jasper. You're really good for him, you know. I've never ever seen Edward as happy as he is with you."

"Oh," I said, blushing. "Thanks."

"We all love you, Bella. Edward especially," she concluded, making my cheeks redder.

"I'll see you soon, Esme," I smiled, a little bit too eager to get to breakfast.

"You'll see me tomorrow night, actually," said Esme, "Doctors' benefit banquet."

I groaned audibly. "I guess I'll live."

"Bye, Bella," my second mother chuckled.

"Goodbye." I sighed, shutting my phone, and again thinking of Edward.

_Soon,_ my heart echoed.

.:o0o:.

**AN: **Wow, I actually got a sneak peek for you guys! Yay.

**Sneak Peek: **_"Bella," I said, squeezing her hand in mine. I looked deep into her eyes, which now held nothing but desire as she smiled slash blushed up at me. "Bella, what exactly are we? I mean, I don't think best friends fits anymore . . ."_

_"Oh," she said, half expecting the question and half surprised I asked. "Umm . . . I don't really know. I mean, I'll understand if you still want to be just friends, but –"_

_"No, no, no," I cut her off. "Of course that's not what I meant. Quite the opposite, actually. I was just wondering. Especially so we're prepared when Tanya comes back to one of us for the answer."_

Laura.


	19. Chapter 17: Giving In

AN:

**AN:** Good news and bad news. The good news is that I'm giving you guys the next chapter early! The bad news is that it's the last chapter. Besides the epilogue, that is. Hope you enjoy!

**Mini-Recap:**_"I'll see you soon, Esme," I smiled, a little bit too eager to get to breakfast._

_"You'll see me tomorrow night, actually," said Esme, "Doctors' benefit banquet."_

_I groaned audibly. "I guess I'll live."_

_"Bye, Bella," my second mother chuckled._

_"Goodbye." I sighed, shutting my phone, and again thinking of Edward._

Soon_, my heart echoed._

**Summary: **AU. All human? Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Chapter 17 – Giving In**

**Edward**

Another hospital benefit banquet. Yes, you heard me. _Another_ one. I had already promised Bella that I would not let neither her nor I get anywhere near alcohol. I seemed to think it was the best, seeing as I couldn't stand having Bella angry with me.

This one wasn't as formal as the last disastrous one was, but still a dress and tux event. I sat by Bella, my arm wrapped around her waist, in a dark gray suit with a dull gold tie to match Bella's dress. Which looked absolutely spectacular on her, as I told her when I first saw the angel this evening.

It was a very simple dress, actually. Metallic gold made up the straps and bust of the dress, with a square neckline. The rest flowed out from there, a teal silk waving to her mid-thigh, embroidered with gold outlined flowers. Bella told me that she had argued with Alice for hours and finally my sister caved in and gave her flowered flats instead of the planned heels. I didn't mind either way, really. She still fell just as often. And I still had the honor of catching her.

As soon as my dad was done giving his speech, soft music blared through the speakers, and I grabbed Bella before she could protest. The dance floor was already crowded with hundreds of people, so I quickly spun us into the throng of couples, while Bella still had yet to register what I was doing. I instantly found a nice, claustrophobic-free spot, and pulled her against me, slowly waltzing with her. She heaved an exasperated sigh and laid her head against my shoulder, my chin falling on top of her head.

_I could tell her,_ I told myself, closing my eyes and savoring the warmth of Bella's body so close to mine. _Tonight is as good as any_. Inhaling, I breathed in the comforting scent of her strawberry shampoo imbedded in her mass of curls. My heart couldn't contain itself tonight. With every pump of my blood, it spelled out her name.

_Bel-la. Bel-la._

"Edward," she whispered. She wasn't calling my name, really. It was more of a sigh of content. Like her sleep talking. _Exactly_ like her sleep talking. She tilted her head up, looking me directly in the eyes, the chocolate burning into emerald. But the depths of her eyes still held the unattainable secret, dangling it in front of me like a carrot. Yet it was different somehow. Like she didn't want to keep the secret anymore, the unknown information dancing with the newfound fire in her eyes. Fire that held the desire and longing. But why was it there?

As I contemplated this, I grew unaware of the fact that I was leaning towards her as she stretched up on her tiptoes. Our gaze never broke until her eyes fluttered shut, mine following suit, and our lips connected hesitantly, her soft petal lips grazing lightly against mine.

_Bel-la-Bel-la-Bel-la-Bel-la-Bel-la._ My heart went on overdrive.

The kiss was soft, innocent, and sweet. Our lips were barely touching, moving tenderly and gently, but the tremor that erupted in our lips was explosive. Neither of us ever made a move to deepen the kiss, and our hands stayed where they were as if we were still dancing. The tips of her eyelashes tickled my cheeks, her breath caressing my skin, interrupted only when she inaudibly said my name against my lips, and I called back to her. Minutes, hours, days, centuries could have passed us by and we'd never know it.

I'm pretty sure it was another whole song later that her lips gradually – centimeter by centimeter – pulled away from mine, neither of our eyes opening. _Wow; _the only word that seemed to be in my vocabulary at the time. That was the understatement of the year. And in that moment, we were one.

One being, one body, one entity. Her inhales and exhales synchronized with mine. My heart was beating the same tune as hers, fast and upbeat. She fit flawlessly into the curves of my body, her true place. My arms wrapped around her snugly, holding her to me. Both standing up straight, my head stacked on top of hers, the perfect height. Everything about us matched. Two puzzle pieces snapping together. The ideal cast and mould. We were one.

I still couldn't tell her.

.:o0o:.

"Tanya?" both Bella and I asked surprised, staring at the strawberry blonde standing before us.

"Edward? Bella?" she said, looking back and forth between both of us, her eyes sometimes darting to our entwined hands on the table. The fleeting glances like that made me a tad uneasy, even though I knew she still didn't have a certain fondness for me. When I had told her I was in no way interested, she had the decency to let it go, acknowledging the fact that we just weren't meant for each other. "Oh, I've missed both you guys so much," she gushed.

"You know Bella?" I asked before Bella could get the same question out of her mouth.

"Good friends in high school," Bella answered for Tanya, as the latter sat down across from us, in Jasper's seat. "How do you know her?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow.

"College," I answered simply.

"Fancy seeing you two together," Tanya continued, as if nothing had passed between us. "You are, uh, _together_, right? Or am I just making silly assumptions again?"

I looked at Bella in apprehension. _Were we together? _The kiss was definitely . . . altering. But what were we now? Best friends wasn't a very apt description if we both felt more than that. She blinked a few times, clearly thinking along the same lines I was.

"So, how are you? I haven't seen either of you in ages," Tanya inquired, quickly changing the subject, as she noticed the uneasiness in the air. The conversation carried on from there, staying clear of most things to do with Bella and I, save for how we met each other and so forth. Mostly, Bella and Tanya spent the time reminiscing about their days in high school, talking about ex-boyfriends – for Tanya, anyways – and old friends.

About an hour later, Tanya finally left us, after making plans to go to lunch the next day. I hadn't really been listening to the conversation after Tanya asked about our relationship. My mind had been reeling around that question, trying to find an answer.

"Bella," I said, squeezing her hand in mine. I looked deep into her eyes, which now held nothing but desire as she smiled slash blushed up at me. "Bella, what exactly are we? I mean, I don't think best friends fits anymore . . ."

"Oh," she said, half expecting the question and half surprised I asked. "Umm . . . I don't really know. I mean, I'll understand if you still want to be just friends, but –"

"No, no, no," I cut her off. "Of course that's not what I meant. Quite the opposite, actually. I was just wondering. Especially so we're prepared when Tanya comes back to one of us for the answer."

"Well," she started, hesitantly, looking back down at our hands and blushing more. "I guess, um, you could introduce me as your girlfriend, if you want," she mumbled in a rush, letting out a big breath of air as she bit her lip lightly.

Smiling my lopsided smile, I used my free hand to lift her chin up to look at me. "Of course that's what I want."

As she smiled, I leaned in to kiss her once more, desperate for the taste of her lips on mine again. The small airspace between our lips was just about to vanish, when a small cough ruined the moment. Surprised, we both jumped back, to find a waiter holding a folded piece of parchment in his hands.

"Miss Swan," he addressed, giving Bella the note and bowing. He quickly retreated to his post, completely disappearing, as Bella ripped her hand from mine and opened the note.

Seconds passed, and her eyes glazed over, staring at the paper in her hands. Curiosity was flaring in me, but I respected her privacy as much as possible and looked towards the rest of the dancing couples. I knew she would tell me sooner or later anyways. A few silent minutes slipped away and I was drawn out of my memory of the kiss by the same familiar lips crashing into mine.

I kissed my _girlfriend_ back eagerly, relishing the way her lips moved against my own. Her hands knotted into my hair with a desperate urgency and I had to hold back a laugh. She must have had a lot of pent up emotion. Her tongue traced my bottom lip and I readily opened my mouth, resisting the urge to pin her up against a wall. All too soon, she pulled away, and whispered into my ear that she had to use the washroom quickly. I nodded, giving her another small peck on her full lips and let her go.

I didn't notice the time passing as I contemplated how and when I should tell her. I couldn't decide, seeing as A) I had never really been in a serious relationship before and B) it was still early on, seeing as she had only been my official girlfriend for over ten minutes. But those ten minutes soon turned into twenty and I began to wonder where Bella had gotten to. Unless, of course, she ran into Rose or Alice in the restroom.

"Edward!"

Turning around in my chair, I saw a disheveled Alice running towards me in her four-inch heels. I would have laughed at the sight if my sister didn't look so afraid. She sprinted all the way across the large dining hall, only stopping when she reached our table.

"Edward," she panted. "Where's – Bella?"

"She went to the restroom," I replied, perplexed.

"No – she . . . didn't. She's . . . gone. Take . . . my – keys . . . and go home!" she told me frantically, trying to catch her breath.

"What do you mean she didn't? Go home? Why? Why can't I take my car?" I asked, worried now, firing questions off the top of my head.

"Just do what I say, Edward!"

I quickly grabbed the keys she had thrown at me and sprinted towards the doors, ignoring all the looks I was receiving. I burst through the entrance, screaming at the valet for the yellow Porsche and jumped in it when it came into view. The fearful note in Alice's voice sent my mind spinning as I drove as fast as I could to the B.C. Bella was the most important thing on my mind, the top priority. What happened to her? Where was she? Why had she run off like that? Did it have to do with that note? Was she in danger? Was she hurt? The last question had my foot pressing the petal to the floor, and the scenery Bella had admired on the way to the banquet whizzed by, becoming a dark blur.

I had made pretty good timing, making a twenty minute drive into a five minute one, as I turned onto the road of the apartment complex. Stopping behind a large vehicle, I slammed the door shut behind me, not caring if it hurt Alice's precious car. I ran into the house, passing the neighbors as I sprinted up the stairs, taking two at a time. But as soon as I reached the top landing, I stopped, stunned at what I saw.

As she locked the door to our apartment, she didn't seem to notice me, gazing back at the golden 3B engraved on the door as she picked up her duffel bag. Turning around, she had her eyes closed – a very bad thing considering her awful balance – and ran straight into me, frozen where I was at the top of the stairwell. She gasped, her eyes flying open, and I took the opportunity to speak.

"Where are you going?" My voice was dead and hollow, so quiet that it was hard to hear, even for me.

"I, um – I –" she stuttered, gripping her duffel bag strap to tightly that her knuckles were whiter than normal. She took in large gulps of air, her chest heaving. I only then noticed that she had changed, wearing sweats, one of my t-shirts, and old sneakers. She seemed to gather herself for she then said coolly, "I'm leaving."

"That doesn't answer my question, Bella," I growled, growing angry and trying not to let the pain show in my voice or my eyes. No, she couldn't leave, I told myself. Not now. _I love her . . . _

"I'm leaving, Edward, and there's nothing you can do about it," she snarled, her eyes the hardest I'd ever seen them. My anger faded away and the pain seeped through my stronghold. Desperately, I pulled my face to hers, my lips trying to find hers. She had to feel the same way, after that kiss. She had to. _I love her . . . _

What I wasn't expecting was the slap in the face I received. Her eyes were wild, her face stone cold. My cheek was flaming, but it didn't register in my mind. _She slapped me_. As I stood staring at her, stunned beyond my wits, she took her opportunity and ran down the stairs. I didn't even have time to appreciate the fact that she didn't fall as I rushed down after her.

"Bella! Wait!"

If the neighbors were surprised before, it was nothing compared to this. They all had heard the common gossip that the two upstairs neighbors had something going on, but they never really had much proof. I followed my fleeing angel out the front door and into the rain. I hadn't even noticed the constant downpour before. Catching up with her, I grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"Don't leave me, Bella!" I yelled over the loud patter of rain. "I won't let you!"

"It's too late, Edward!" she shouted back. "I'm going and that's final."

Wrenching out of my grasp, she threw her duffel bag into the bed of the red truck I had parked behind. As Bella ran through the rain to get to the driver's side, I pulled her back to me, crushing my lips against hers. And this time, she didn't resist. She kissed me back fervently, wrapping her legs around my waist, like she knew this was the very last time she would get to do so. It would not be the last time, I told myself. She's staying. She is. _I love her . . ._

Even as I refused to let Bella go, she wriggled out of my embrace, again sprinting to the truck. And again, I grabbed her arm to hold her back. The rain bucketed down on top of us, thunder rambling and lightning staining the black sky.

"LET ME COME WITH YOU!" I bellowed over the racket the thunderstorm was producing.

"YOU CAN'T!" she screamed back, fire in her eyes.

"DON'T GO, BELLA! YOU KNOW I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU!" I was suddenly glad for the rain, mixing with my tears as the situation finally sunk in.

"GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON!" she spit at me, her voice breaking, as tears fell down her face, too. And I gave her the best reason I could think of.

"I LOVE YOU!"

.:o0o:.

**AN: **DON'T KILL ME, PLEASE! That was the point of the sequel. Which will be up soon, I promise! But hey, look on the bright side. At least Edward finally told her, am I right? Umm, Bella's dress and shoes are in the link on my profile (it's really cute). I'll put the epilogue up tomorrow, deal?

Love all of you guys who read my story!

Laura


	20. Epilogue: Flight

AN:

**AN:** Sooo, this is the last – well, not the last chapter, but the last time I update _this_ story. The epilogue. Le sigh.

I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read my story. It really means a whole lot to me. You have no idea.

To my reviewers, thanks a billion. I probably wouldn't have finished this if you guys didn't exist. And an extra special thanks to my first reviewer, **alicecullenrox**; the ones who've been with me since the beginning and everywhere in between, **AllyR**, **RavieGrint**, **sekhmetkitty002**; for suggesting putting this on lionlamb live journal (which I WILL get around to doing), **loveisms**; for the wonderful reviews that made me think and smile, **cabtwilighter**, **literaturecrazy**; for reviewing almost every chapter even though you started in, like, the middle, **Bookbat4ever**; and for suggesting your all human story to me (which I WILL get around to reading, I promise), **MadeleineJade**.

If Gabby, Corina, or Marissa (or any of my other twi-hard friends) are reading this, THANK YOU! Seriously, though. I don't think any of you made it this far, coughCorinacough. C'mawn, chapter five? Jesus, woman.

Anyways, ENJOY!

**Mini-Recap:**___"LET ME COME WITH YOU!" I bellowed over the racket the thunderstorm was producing._

_"YOU CAN'T!" she screamed back, fire in her eyes._

_"DON'T GO, BELLA! YOU KNOW I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU!" I was suddenly glad for the rain, mixing with my tears as the situation finally sunk in._

_"GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON!" she spit at me, her voice breaking, as tears fell down her face, too. And I gave her the best reason I could think of._

_"I LOVE YOU!"_

**Summary: **AU. All human? Canon Pairings. In the beginning, he never thought anything like this would happen. He never knew things could flip completely upside down in those few little seconds. The few seconds it took to say those three magic words.

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. I also do not own the Wombats, or their song, Little Miss Pipedream.

.:o0o:.

**Epilogue – Flight**

**Edward**

Gone. She's gone.

My brain wasn't functioning properly. Those were the only two words I could utter, the only response anybody got out of me. _She's gone._

The emptiness that took over me was so numbing that it wouldn't even let me black out again after that first time when she just drove away into oblivion, not even acknowledging the fact that I had told her what I had kept pent up for weeks. I was worse than a zombie, worse than dead. Not once had I moved from this spot on the couch since two days ago, after Emmett had finally gotten here and carried me out of the rain. But it was worse in here. Everything was her.

She's gone.

Right now, I really didn't care if I died of starvation. Alice had already poured water down my throat against my will. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that she still existed somewhere in this world. Somewhere.

Mom was watching over me now. They seemed to think it was best if I had supervision. Probably so I didn't commit suicide or something. Whatever. I couldn't argue against it because I only had two words in my vocabulary at the moment. She's gone.

Gone. Never coming back. Never will I hear her voice again. Never will I see her beautiful eyes, her gorgeous smile. Never will her lips grace mine. Never again.

I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. Leaving. It hurt more and more each time. So I had been awake for over forty hours now, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think.

If I ever do move, I will never have been stiffer in my life.

.:o0o:.

The nightmares wouldn't leave me. It was impossible to stay awake – let alone stay alive – and eventually sleep took over. And the nightmares came for me, hunted me down, tortured me with images of her speeding off into the distance. Never coming back.

Jasper and Alice were here now. My sister hadn't stopped crying yet. I was too beyond crying. I was envious that she actually could shed tears, that she could be livelier than just another human frozen on a couch. The misery was drowning me and I was unable to surface. She was at least able to walk around and show emotion. But, then again, she had not just lost her true other half. I'm sure it'd be a lot different than if Jasper were gone.

I couldn't think her name; it was too unbearable. My nightmares plagued me with her name. Her face. Just her.

I wasn't sure how long I would be able to hold on.

.:o0o:.

My stomach controlled me now. It made me accept and chew and swallow the bits of food Elza was now feeding me. It made me guzzle up the water that dripped down my throat. But it couldn't make me speak.

I refused to look at Elza. She looked too much like her sister. The uncanny resemblance made me almost want to throw up the tiny pieces of bread. A fresh wave of desolation hit me every time she was near.

She had taken all of her possessions when she left, Alice informed me. Even all the stuff still left in apartment 3A. She was gone. Without a trace left behind.

Unconsciousness took me once again.

.:o0o:.

On the seventh day after she left, I awoke. Mom was surprised when I suddenly upped and walked silently over to the bathroom to let nature take its course. The numbness had worn almost completely off, but abruptly vanished when I went to the bedroom. On the pillow she used to lay her head on was a folded piece of paper addressed to me. Opening it carefully, I sat down on the edge of the bed so I didn't have any risk of fainting again.

_My dearest Edward,_

_By the time you are reading this, I hope to be long gone. I want you to know that first and foremost, this is not your fault. I know you'll try to shoulder the blame for this and I desperately ask you not to. It has nothing to do with you. I promise._

_I want to thank you, Edward. For everything. Tonight especially. It was amazing. Truly, I have never felt anything like that before. If you had never come into my life, I would be tragically incomplete. I am nothing without you, Edward. I am yours._

_I also want you to promise me something. Please, do this for me. I want you to forget about me. Don't follow me. Completely erase me from your memories. It will be easier this way. For both of us._

_I apologize if I was rude when I left, if I ran into you. I couldn't risk it. Just like I can't risk telling you why I left. And for that, I'm also sorry. I would ask your forgiveness, but I don't need it. You mean too much to me._

_Edward. I need to tell you something. I have been keeping this to myself for so long, and I know and you know that the others have already noticed this, but I need to tell you anyways. Edward, I love you. You were never my best friend. You were my dreams. You were my savior. I love you. With all my heart. Which is yours, by the way. That's the only thing I left with you. My heart is yours to keep forever._

_So, please. As one last favor, forget that I exist. Forget me, and you will be safe. I'm begging you._

_I'm so sorry._

_I love you, now and far longer than I will ever live._

_Bella._

The tears spilled over and the real pain engulfed me. For all that I'm concerned, I died. My heart stopped beating in that moment, filled with unforgotten love for a love that wished to be forgotten.

My last words to the empty world faded into blackness as I vanished from the face of the earth.

_"My Bella, my love."_

.:o0o:.

**AN: **One last thing. The sequel will be called **Lost In The Post**, another one of the Wombats' songs. I'll post the preface sometime later today.

THANKS AGAIN! Love you guys,

Laura


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